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Table 3 Theme 1

From: Exploring the meaning and practice of self-care among palliative care nurses and doctors: a qualitative study

A proactive and holistic approach to promoting personal health and wellbeing to support professional care of others

Prudence

Through self-care, what we are doing is developing a relationship with ourselves – which actually supports us in developing relationships with everybody else.

Gwendolen

Self-care - it’s looking after me to look after patients, so to speak; if I’m not of a good healthy physical state or emotional state, I’m hardly likely to be able to support someone.

Darrell

You can’t look after dying patients without looking after yourself, really, can you? And do a good job of that, in a compassionate way?

Felicity

Balancing care for yourself and others is essential.

Patrick

It’s part of a holistic approach… if you’re not caring for yourself then you’re less able to care for others.

Merilyn

[It’s about] maintaining a good balance between body and mind… being able to stay fit and healthy.

Winston

You look after your own health so that you can deliver patient-centred care.

Prudence

That’s what self-care is; it’s a way of living, it’s a way of living every moment.

Mason

The thing is, [self-care] is not a tick-box commodity.