Emotional involvement with the dying in a coronary care unit

The conflict between professional distance and emotional involvement has been identified as a central problem for nurses in their care of dying patients. While some nurses may attempt to maintain their professional distance, individualised methods of patient care encourage the development of emotional involvement between nurses and their patients. Where such nursing methods are used it is essential that appropriate ways exist of handling the problems which such involvement may cause nurses. In the coronary care unit studied, the organisation of nursing work facilitated close and continuing contact between nurses and their patients, thereby increasing the chance that emotional involvement would develop. The death of a patient was not viewed by the nurses as a 'failure', but there were sometimes difficulties for them arising from their involvement with the patient. This paper describes the handling of death and dying in the unit, and some of the issues surrounding emotional involvement and communication with dying patients.