The lived experience of working in a mortuary

A four year action research study was undertaken in an attempt to foster change in the current management of sudden deaths in the Accident and Emergency Departments in South Africa. During the phase of interviewing bereaved families and health professionals it became apparent that there was a need to involve mortuary staff as victims of sudden deaths have to undergo an autopsy. The researcher chose an interpretive hermeneutic phenomenological research approach to explore the lived experience of working in a mortuary. The mortuary is a place of mystery, sadness, grief or repulsion and we all hope, while we are alive, we will never need to visit. For families who have lost a loved one to a sudden death, this becomes a reality. Working in a mortuary is an extremely stressful experience which is made worse in South Africa due to the large number of people dying sudden violent deaths due to trauma. The themes which emerged from the interviews with mortuary staff were; secondary trauma for families, delays by health professionals and dehumanised mortuary staff. There is a need for a change in the way bereaved families are being managed as well as revision of the environment for the staff working in mortuaries.