Résumé
Emotions signify the richness of human experience and have a prominent role in the nursing profession. They influence the relationship with patients and those close to them, which is an important aspect in any support in care, especially in palliative care. Indeed, the palliative care patient is confronted with the end of his life and certain decisions must be made. Therefore, he must obtain appropriate support. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of patient’s emotions when faced with his life decisions in palliative care within the triadic process between caregiver, patient and his relatives. Four nurses were interviewed for this study: two were nurses in palliative care units, one worked in a palliative care bed unit, and one was a nurse in private practice. Results showed that the patient’s decisions towards the end of his life had an impact on his emotions, as well as on the triangular relationship between the nurse, the patient and those around them. It would be interesting to explore the end-of-life situation considering the French President’s new law on passive euthanasia and its consequences on the nursing profession.