Feelings and perceptions of the nursing team facing death and the dying process in the intensive care unit

Objective: identifying the feelings and reactions of the nursing staff towards death and the dying process in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Methodology: this is about a descriptive and exploratory study from qualitative approach, analyzing the subjects’ speeches, from the question: Which reactions towards death do the nursing staff working in ICU present? Data collection was conducted through questionnaires after the signing of Terms of Consent, held between July and August 2010, with ten nurses from the nursing staff, who work in intensive care unit of a medium-sized hospital in Goiás, as approved by UniEvangélica´s Ethics in Research committee with the 0155/2009 consent. Results: from analysis of the interviews two categories and two subcategories emerged: 1-Feelings experienced by the nursing staff toward death and the dying process of the client in their care; 2 - Unveiling the sensitivity of the nursing staff toward death and the dying process; 2.1-Bonding; 2.2-Religiosity. Conclusion: it was possible to see that death is still seen as an enigma and that the nursing staff experience feelings of incompetence, anxiety and lack of preparation in dealing with patients in the process of death and dying, yet living with this situation routinely. This suggests there is a need for clarification of how to deal with death and the dying process in the training of health professionals in order to provide complete and qualified. Descriptors: nursing staff; death; the intensive care unit.RESUMOObjetivo: identificar os sentimentos e as reações da equipe de enfermagem perante a morte e o processo de morrer na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI). Metodologia: estudo descritivo, exploratório, abordagem qualitativa, análise das falas dos sujeitos, a partir da questão norteadora: A equipe de enfermagem que trabalha em UTI apresenta quais reações perante a morte? A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de questionários, após assinatura dos Termos de Consentimentos Livre e Esclarecido, entre julho e agosto de 2010, com ...