Research studies suggest that mental health nurses hold negative attitudes towards patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

The aim of this study was to explore mental health nurses’ experiences and attitudes towards BPD patients in Greece, using a qualitative approach.

Data were collected through two audio-recorded focus group discussions. The participants were twelve nurses who work in two General Hospital Psychiatric Units –one in Athens and one regional– and have direct clinical experience with BPD patients. The audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis in the context of grounded theory.

One overarching theme and three main themes were identified. The overarching theme that emerged was: “Futility”, which refers to feelings that the provision of nursing care to BPD patients is devoid of purpose and meaning. The main themes were: “Uncertainty”, which refers to the absence of valid causal explanations for mental disorders and on the perplexity of the BPD psychopathology; “Frustration”, which refers to challenges and barriers to providing care to BPD patients; “Unsupportiveness”, which refers to a complex mental health system, where there is a lack of guidance and goal orientation. Of significance are the nurses’ feelings of frustration and futility creating a sense of being burdened and leading to negative attitudes and behaviours towards BPD patients.

Understanding treatment goals from the recovery model perspective and developing guidelines to help nurses revisit the concept of medical futility, may improve care to BPD patients.

No significant relationships.

Multidisciplinary staff who work with end-of-life, pre-transplant patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have to juggle two seemingly opposing care approaches; active care to maintain their patients’ health and condition in anticipation of a transplant, and sensitive palliative care that takes their end-of-life wishes into consideration should they not receive a transplant. Little is known about the psychological impact on staff working within this care dichotomy. The aim of this study is to explore staff's experiences and understand more about the psychological impact of this work on them professionally and personally, and how this affects their ability to provide appropriate care for their patients.

A qualitative explorative research design was used. Ten semistructured interviews with multidisciplinary staff working in cystic fibrosis centers and units across the United Kingdom were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).

Two superordinate themes emerged from the analysis: factors contributing to the “juggle” of active and palliative care, and extent of emotional impact on staff.

The study indicates that there is an emotional impact on staff working with patients with CF at end-of-life, pre-transplant stages. Specifically, it reveals the extent of the unpredictability that staff work with, and the range of emotions that staff experience, including uncertainty about professional identity and anxiety about working practices. The depth and intimacy of professional–patient relationships is highlighted, particularly for staff in close contact with and similar in age to their patients. Additionally, the strength of staff's commitment and desire to care for patients within broader humanistic terms that mesh with their own personal values is brought to light. Despite the difficulties with their work, the majority of staff adopted numerous coping strategies to manage their emotions, many of which emphasized the link between their professional and personal values in undertaking their roles.