How nurses cope with death in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

The death of a child in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is difficult, the loss generates feelings of sadness and pain; this study highlights the different coping strategies used by nurses to manage this situation and find the strength to provide care at the end of life.

Objective: Explore the strategies used by nurses in the PICU in coping with death.

Methods: Study conducted in the city of Manizales, Colombia, during the months of October, November and December. A qualitative, hermeneutical phenomenological approach was used. The method of intentional sampling for the selection of participating nurses (n=10) working in PICU, in-depth interviews were conducted for the construction of the information and the data were analyzed according to the procedures proposed by Cohen, Kahn and Steeves.

Results: Nurses use coping strategies focused on emotions: they inhibit their feelings towards the patient and their family; they use communication and prayer with the patient, as well as accompaniment to alleviate the suffering of the family.

Conclusion: UCIP nurses develop coping strategies for end-of-life care using spiritual resources and communication with the family who require ongoing support, reflecting on death and accompanying the child in its transcendence.

Keywords: Adaptación; Adaptation; Afrontamiento; Coping; Enfermería; Nursing; Paediatric Intensive Care Unit; Unidad de Cuidado Intensivo Pediátrico.