Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Treatment in the PICU From the Nursing Staff's Perspective: Integrative Review

Background: Withdrawal of life sustaining measures is a common mode of treatment prior to the death of a critically ill child and has implications for all involved. The perspective of nurses has not yet been considered in this context. Aim: How do nurses experience the termination of life-sustaining measures in the paediatric intensive care unit? What is their role in this process? Methods: An integrative review was conducted to answer the research question. The literature search was performed in October 2022 in the CINAHL, Medline and PsycINFO databases. Results: Three qualitative and five quantitative studies were included. The confrontation with emotions, uncertainties in the decision-making process, challenges and conflicts in collaboration, in interacting with those involved and in the provision of care determine the experience of nurses during treatment withdrawal. The nurses as involved in the decision-making process and representative of interests are influenced by intrarole conflicts. Conclusion: Nursing professionals need support to cope with their experiences in the context of treatment withdrawal in children. In addition to surveying the type and scope of support measures, interprofessional guidelines must be developed when life-sustaining measures are withdrawn. This includes future research to specify the role of nurses in treatment withdrawal and includes, for example, the description of specific tasks, necessary skills or the extent of involvement in decision-making.