Purpose
This study aimed to identify ICU nurses‘experiences with patient care after death. Methods: The data were collected through two focus group interviews with eight nurses who had experienced the death of patients in the ICU. Giorgi’s method of descriptive phenomenology was used to interpret the data. Results: Five constituents and 14 subconstituents were extracted from the 68 units of meaning. The five constituents were as follows: respect the body as a person, consideration and support for the family, dichotomy between personal courtesy and performing tasks, overcoming the patient’s death and growing, and care after death: a unique role left to the nurse. Conclusion: These findings illuminate the meaning of care after death as a continuation of person-centered care and can be used as primary data for the development of organizational, educational, and emotional support for nurses to accomplish their roles in the ICU.

Citations

• Nurses’ perspectives about end-of-life care when family presence is restricted during a pandemic: A qualitative study
  Myung Hui Choi, Hyun Jung Kim, Hye Jin Yoo
  Australian Critical Care.2025; 38(1): 101091.     CrossRef
• Effects of a Simulation-Based Care After-Death Mentoring Program for New Nurses: Augmented Reality End-of-Life Experience
  Ki Kyong Kim, Bokyoung Kim
  Journal of Palliative Medicine.2024; 27(12): 1631.     CrossRef
• Experiences of Intensive Care Unit Nurses in Caring for Brain-Dead Donors
  Minseo Son, Nageong Kim
  Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing.2024; 26(1): E38.     CrossRef
• Describing Medical Aid-in-Dying and Nursing “Leave-the-Room” Policies in California
  Karin Sobeck, Gianna R. Strand, David N. Hoffman
  Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing.2024; 26(6): 317.     CrossRef