Analysis of Nurses' Attitudes toward Patient Death

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 12;19(20):13119. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013119.

Abstract

(1) The aim of the study was to analyze nurses' attitudes toward a patient's death, taking into account the emotions they experience and the general perception of death. (2) The study involved 516 nurses from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. The research was carried out using the diagnostic survey method using The Death Attitudes Profile Revisited (DAP-R-PL), the Scale of Fear and Fascination with Death, and a demographic questionnaire. (3) Research has shown that nurses accept the phenomenon of death as a natural process of human life; however, they adopt the attitude of fear of death. Most of the respondents experienced: sadness (73.4%), helplessness (58.5%), and regret (43.6%) due to the patient's death. (4) Both age, sex, marital status, and place of residence significantly influenced the attitudes of nurses toward the patient's death. Therefore, it is important to provide psychological support or special education in the case of dealing with the fear of death.

Keywords: attitudes toward death; death; dying; fear of death; nurse.

MeSH terms

  • Attitude of Health Personnel
  • Attitude to Death
  • Humans
  • Nurses*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Terminal Care* / psychology

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.