Intensive Care Nurses' Experiences Regarding Patient Death; A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the experiences of intensive care nurses regarding patient death and the meanings they attribute to this process.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 19 intensive care nurses using a semi-structured interview form. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.Results: Three main themes and sixteen sub-themes were identified: reality of death, change and transformation, and need for support. The findings revealed that nurses experience death as a complex and multidimensional process involving emotional burden, personal and professional transformation, and various coping strategies.Conclusion: The findings indicate that intensive care nurses’ experiences of death constitute a dynamic process involving emotional burden, transformation, and meaning-making, shaped by both professional experience and institutional support. These results contribute to a better understanding of nurses’ adaptation to death and emphasize the importance of structured interventions to support their psychological well-being.