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Background: Caring for patients in the end of life implies considering patients as unique individuals with unique needs. Patients in the end of life have emotional and spiritual needs that need to be satisfied. The families of the patients are in need of support to be able to accept and process their grief. To care for patients in the end of life raises existential thoughts among nurses. The aim with care is to ease the patients suffering and to give them a high life quality. The theoretical perspective according to the theorist Katie Eriksson has been used as the basis for this thesis.

Aim: To describe nurses’ experiences of palliative care for patients in end of life care. 

Method: Systematic literature study with descriptive synthesis, qualitative approach.

Findings: Based on the analysis two themes emerged. Theme 1; Challenges and theme 2; Availability. There were a total of five subthemes.

Conclusions: Nurses experienced caring as challenging because they lacked experience and knowledge. The nurses were facing emotional challenges. It is important that nurses support both the patients and their families in the end of life. 

Keywords: Experience, family, end of life, palliative care, patient, systematic review