Facing death in the intensive care unit. A phenomenological study of nurses' experiences

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.