Biomaterial Database

Expert nursing behaviors in care of the dying adult in the intensive care unit. 1995

S E McClement, and L F Degner

Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing Program, University of Manitoba Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Canada.

OBJECTIVE To identify expert nursing behaviors in care of the dying adult in the intensive care unit. METHODS Descriptive, exploratory. METHODS One tertiary care hospital surgical intensive care unit and one community hospital medical-surgical intensive care unit in a western Canadian city. METHODS Ten intensive care nurses nominated as experts in the care of dying adults by their peers. RESULTS Behaviors identified after constant comparative content analysis of transcribed interviews with nurse experts included: responding after death has occurred; responding to the family; responding to anger; responding to colleagues; providing comfort care; and enhancing personal growth. CONCLUSIONS The identification and description of specific nursing interventions in care of the dying are imperative to demonstrate to practicing clinicians that a clearly defined role exists for them in the delivery of terminal care.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007362	Intensive Care Units	Hospital units providing continuous surveillance and care to acutely ill patients.	ICU Intensive Care Units,Intensive Care Unit,Unit, Intensive Care
D008297	Male		Males
D009732	Nursing Care	Care given to patients by nursing service personnel.	Care, Nursing,Management, Nursing Care,Nursing Care Management
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D001291	Attitude of Health Personnel	Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.	Staff Attitude,Attitude, Staff,Attitudes, Staff,Health Personnel Attitude,Health Personnel Attitudes,Staff Attitudes
D001293	Attitude to Death	Conceptual response of the person to the various aspects of death, which are based on individual psychosocial and cultural experience.	Attitudes to Death,Death, Attitude to,Death, Attitudes to
D013727	Terminal Care	Medical and nursing care of patients in the terminal stage of an illness.	End-Of-Life Care,End of Life Care,Care, End-Of-Life,Care, Terminal,End-Of-Life Cares
D015203	Reproducibility of Results	The statistical reproducibility of measurements (often in a clinical context), including the testing of instrumentation or techniques to obtain reproducible results. The concept includes reproducibility of physiological measurements, which may be used to develop rules to assess probability or prognosis, or response to a stimulus; reproducibility of occurrence of a condition; and reproducibility of experimental results.	Reliability and Validity,Reliability of Result,Reproducibility Of Result,Reproducibility of Finding,Validity of Result,Validity of Results,Face Validity,Reliability (Epidemiology),Reliability of Results,Reproducibility of Findings,Test-Retest Reliability,Validity (Epidemiology),Finding Reproducibilities,Finding Reproducibility,Of Result, Reproducibility,Of Results, Reproducibility,Reliabilities, Test-Retest,Reliability, Test-Retest,Result Reliabilities,Result Reliability,Result Validities,Result Validity,Result, Reproducibility Of,Results, Reproducibility Of,Test Retest Reliability,Validity and Reliability,Validity, Face