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Published on: July 4, 2018
Facing death in the intensive care unit. A phenomenological study of nurses' experiences
Juan Francisco Velarde-García1, Raquel Luengo-González1, Raquel González-Hervias1
1a Department of Nursing , Spanish Red Cross , Avda. Reina Victoria n°28, Madrid 28003 , Spain.
Background:
Nurses may experience considerable emotional burden due to patient death, in part as they are generally the professionals who have the most contact with patients.
Objective:
To describe the lived experience of Spanish nurses working in intensive care units regarding how they face the death of their patients.
Methods:
A qualitative phenomenological study was performed. A purposeful sample was used. The data collection strategies used included in-depth unstructured and semi-structured interviews, field notes and personal documents. Afterwards, data were analyzed using the Giorgi proposal.
Results:
22 nurses participated, with a mean age of 40.8 years and a mean work experience of 13.8 years. Three themes were identified: 1) dealing with expectations of recovery, 2) accepting the age of death, and 3) experiencing emotional attachment.
Conclusions:
Nurses in intensive care units report a great emotional burden derived from patients death, Support programs for nurses should be organised within these units.
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