Intensivist nurses perception of intensive care unit dysthanasia

Identify and evaluate the perception of Intensivist Nurses in a University Hospital in Londrina, of dysthanasia in terminal patients at the Intensive Care Unit.

Qualitative study. Data were collected by semi-structured recorded interview involving nine nurses working in a university hospital intensive care units, during January 2009. A thematic analysis was used to evaluate subjects' speech and identify discussion categories.

Five categories were identified, discussed based on the authors' experience and literature, namely: measures prolonging life of patients with no chance of cure in the intensive care unit; nurses' actions/reactions when facing dysthanasia; reasons leading to prolonging life of patients with no chance of cure; nurses' feelings about dysthanasia and life prolongation; care measures as opposed to dysthanasia.

Experiencing of nurses when facing dysthanasia actions was shown to be complex, a factor of suffering, frustration and discomfort for these professionals. In the nurses' view, lack of communication stands out as an important factor for dysthanasia, and measures to replace dysthanasia are those relieving suffering.