OBJECTIVE: to verify if the nurses could to identify the five dying process phases, described by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, in patients under their cares and out of therapeutic possibilities. METHODS: were questioned if can notices the non-verbal communication signs to render that attendance and to do that identification. The data were collected in January of 2004 by means of individual interview, with nurses, in public hospital linked to the teaching in the city of São Paulo. RESULTS: we verified that 92% of the nurses got to identify at least one of the dying process phases in their experiences with terminals patients, were mentioned, on the average, three. The acceptance (85%), the denial (69%) and the depression (61%) were more frequently the noticed. We verified the use and understanding of the non-verbal communication in the identification of the phases in the speeches of 54% of the nurses. CONCLUSION: the results evidenced the difficulties faced by the nurse about this thematic.
Death; Dying; Nursing; Non-verbal communication; Palliative care