Comfort for a good death: perspective nursing staff's of intensive care

Objective:

It is a qualitative research aimed to know the meaning of nursing care for a good death from the perspective of a team of intensive care nursing.

Methods:

Symbolic Interactionism was adopted as a theoretical framework and content analysis of Bardin as the methodological framework for analysis. Ten nurses were interviewed, who experienced the care of the terminally ill person, in the ICU of a hospital specializing in oncology.

Results:

It showed that the meaning of caring for a good death focuses on the promotion of comfort as the central category and three subcategories: Relief of physical discomforts, social and emotional support and maintenance of the health and body positioning.

Conclusion:

To care for a good death means to promote comfort as a results of therapeutic interventions that combine rationality and sensitivity in interactions of health professionals with patients and their families, ensuring their dignity.

Death; Palliative Care; Nursing Care; Intensive Care Units