The use of nurses in community palliative care.

This qualitative study uses a phenomenological life world perspective to examine the utilization of nurses in community palliative care for people with noncancer conditions with a life expectancy of 2 years. Sited in Otago, New Zealand, while there was a number of health professionals involved in providing palliative care in the community for people with malignant conditions, none of the participants with nonmalignant disease were receiving specialist palliative care at the time of interview. Support services used a rehabilitative model of care that was not always appropriate in meeting the needs of the people who were dying and their families.