UNDERSTANDING THE ICU NURSES' EXPERIENCES ON DEATH AND DYING: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Aim and Background: To understand and explore the available published literatures regarding ICU Nurses Experience on Death and Dying. Death and Dying has been a common scenario at the ICU, but the depth of experience, perception and response to the current issues are still being established and explored for further studies. The literature review describes the responses ofl CU nurses in all these aspects mentioned. Design: We conducted an integrated literature review and included 31 articles in both qualitative and quantitative studies, in the English language, based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) method. Methods: Electronic searches of related articles were pooled using a comprehensive search terms. Results: From the articles gathered, the information were saturated into three major themes that represented the experiences ofICUNurses. Conclusion: Positive and negative responses were noted as ICU nurses experience caring for dying patients. Responses differ depending on their age, experience, belief and attitude as well as the longevity of experience. As we continue to establish and understand the caring experience of nurses related to death and dying patients, a need for further studies should be initiated to enlighten concerns on this aspect such as issues on limited educational supplementation, variation of reaction of nurses in death and dying, and delve more into the importance and impact of their reflection as they experience caring for a dying patient.