Phenomenological Study of ICU Nurses’ Experiences Caring for Dying Patients

Abstract

This existential phenomenological study explored caring for the dying based on the philosophical works of Merleau-Ponty. Fourteen critical care nurses were asked to describe lived experiences of caring for dying patients. An encompassing theme of Promises to Keep emerged, with five subthemes, including the following: (a) promise to be truthful: “Nurses are in the game of reality,” (b) promise to provide comfort: “I’ll make him comfortable,” (c) promise to be an advocate: “Just one more day,” (d) “Promise that couldn’t be kept,” and (e) “Promise to remain connected.” The essence of intensive care nurses’ lived experience of caring for dying patients is captured in the theme Promises to Keep. Nurses accept the reality of death and express strong commitment to making it as comfortable, peaceful, and dignified as possible, despite critical care unit environments that foster a “paradigm of curing” rather than a “paradigm of caring.”