Meaning of care at the end of life in the pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

Objective. Understand the meaning of end-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit from the perspective of nurses. Methods: Study conducted in the city of Manizales - Colombia, during the months of October, November and December. A qualitative, hermeneutical phenomenological approach was used. The method of intentional sampling for the selection of participating nurses (n = 10) working in PICU, in-depth interviews were conducted for the construction of the information and the data were analyzed according to the procedures proposed by Cohen, Kahn and Steeves. Results: The meaning of death and the feeling they produce depends on the experience of the nurse, the nurses perceive differently the cause of a chronic and acute condition, the maintenance and intimacy during the dying process are relevant in the care of the final life. Conclusion. The care at the end of life in UCIP has two contexts: the expected death and the unexpected, the feelings that each one generates in the nurses is different and affects the care provided.