Abstract:

Objective To explore and analyze the core competence elements of palliative care among nurses in neonatal intensive care unit（NICU），aiming to provide a valuable reference for nursing administrators to conduct education and training in palliative care. Methods A qualitative research method was adopted，involving semi-structured interviews with a total of 15 medical staff，social workers，and volunteers from three tertiary class A children’s hospitals in Zhejiang，Jiangsu，and Hunan provinces from February to May 2024. The interview contents were sorted out and analyzed by using Colaizzi’s method. Results The core competence of NICU nurses in palliative care could be summarized into 7 themes：comprehensive assessment ability，symptom management ability，psycho-spiritual support ability，social support ability，communication and cooperation ability，self-regulation and self-learning ability，and moral and ethical adherence. Conclusion NICU nurses should have various abilities when providing palliative care. Comprehensive assessment ability is the prerequisite for implementing palliative care，symptom management ability is the core of improving the quality of life for terminally ill newborns，psycho-spiritual support ability and social support ability are crucial for offering bereavement support to bereaved families，communication and cooperation ability is the method to solve the problems for terminally ill newborns and their families，self-regulation and self-learning ability is fundamental to maintaining self emotional stability，and moral and ethical adherence is the basis for handling conflicts.

Key words: Intensive Care Units, Neonatal, Nurses, Palliative Care, Core Competence, Qualitative Research