The attitude of providing good death from intensive care nurses: A meta-synthesis of the literature

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the attitude of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses of good death and to improve the quality of death of dying patients in ICU. The authors conducted a literature search from databases for published, English-language, peer-reviewed reports of qualitative studies that focused on attitude of ICU nurses of providing good death from different cultures during 2009-2018. 13 studies met eligibility criteria with the following two questions: A. “What are the obstacles to realize good death in ICU?” B. “How to help ICU dying patients to get good death?”. According to these questions, we grouped all results. Finally, 5 categories each answered Research Question A(RQ-A), and 5 indicated RQ-B. The following four factors that can promote the good death of ICU dying patients: 1) Legalizing and standardizing “good death” in ICU by providing education, physical and mental support for nurses; 2) Gaining trust of family and seeking consistency of important decisions; 3) Creating a physical and cooperative environment of ICU that benefits dying patients; 4) Giving priority to satisfy physical and mental needs of dying patients and their families, leaving no regrets.