The effect of witnessing death. 1: Nursing implications

This is the first part of a two-part unit that examines how patients are affected by witnessing a death. When patients die in a hospital or palliative care environment it can be a common occurrence for them to die in a shared area. Individuals may be affected by the death of a fellow patient. Having a greater understanding of this issue may have implications for nursing practice in relation to communication, privacy and dignity, and bed allocation for patients. Part 1 covers the background and literature review, and discusses implications for practice.