Effect of Emotional State of Nurses Working in Intensive Care on Their Attitudes Toward Death

The Effect of Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses' Attitudes Towards Palliative Care on Death Anxiety and Burnout: An Analytic Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to determined the effect of neonatal intensive care nurses' attitudes towards palliative care on death anxiety and burnout. This was an analytic cross-sectional study conducted with 215 neonatal intensive care nurses working a children's hospital with Turkey's largest NICU bed capacity. The mean Neonatal Palliative Care Attitude Scale total score was 3.04 ± 0.78, and the mean scores of the organization, resources, and clinician subscales were 3.16 ± 0.86, 2.87 ± 0.80, and 3.10 ± 0.97, respectively. The participants' mean Death Anxiety Scale score was 57.65 ± 21.46, and the mean Burnout Inventory score was 39.21 ± 17.61. The organization subscale explained 17% of the variance in death anxiety, and the organization and resources subscales explained 31% of the variance in burnout. Neonatal intensive care nurses' palliative care attitudes are moderate; they face obstacles in providing and improving their attitudes in this field. The high level of obstacles increases nurses' death anxiety and burnout.

On Between Death and Life: Intensive Care Nurses

The aim of this study is to explore intensive care nurses' perceptions and experiences about death and dying patient. This study included 15 nurses from a university hospital's intensive care units (paediatric and internal medicine). Data were collected through face-to-face, in-depth and individual interviews using the "Nurse Information Form" and "Semi-Structured Interview Form". Six major themes and sixteen sub-themes were identified on the nurses' perceptions and experiences with death. After the nurses described their perceptions of death, their responses, approaches, coping mechanisms, and effects on the dead and dying patient in care and factors affecting perceptions of death were defined. Our findings suggest that nurses, particularly those working in intensive care, should be educated/trained on death, and dying patient care. Thus, orderly psychological support should be provided to nurses.

The Concept of a Good Death from the Perspectives of Nurses Caring for Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 in Intensive Care Unit

We have witnessed increasing numbers of cases of COVID-19 and associated deaths worldwide. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was to determine the perception of a good death and the factors contributing to it by nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU). It was carried out with nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the ICU (n = 369). Data were collected using a questionnaire and the Good Death Scale. The mean score of the participants scale was 56.84 ± 7.51. In this study, nurses have seen as important statements that include "ensuring a peaceful death", "being with their loved ones", "meeting a person's spiritual needs", and "having an opportunity to say goodbye" for the good death. The factors contributing to the perception of a good death were gender, marital status, and feeling sad when caring for a dying patient (p < .05).

Experiences of a Group of Senior Nursing Students with End of Life Care and Death in Turkey

Nursing students may feel unprepared to manage the care of dying individuals and may experience anxiety and fear related to death and dying. Preparing nursing students for this situation can help them provide quality care to dying patients. This study aimed to examine the end-of-life care values and behaviors and death attitudes of senior nursing students. In examining these variables, the Values and Behaviors of Intensive Care Nurses for End-of-Life Instrument and the Death Attitude Profile-Revised Scale were used. It was found that the students developed positive attitudes and behavior towards end-of-life care, and that they believed death to be a natural part of life and there is life after death. Students who felt that the information they received during their education was partially sufficient were more likely to have negative death attitudes. It can be recommended that teaching strategies in the education of the nursing students be developed.