Dying Care Interventions in the Intensive Care Unit

PurposeProviding high-quality end-of-life care is a challenging area in intensive care practice. The aim of the current study was to assess the practice of registered nurses (RNs) with respect to dying care and spiritual support interventions in intensive care units (ICUs) in the Czech Republic (CR) and find correlations between particular factors or conditions and the frequency of NIC interventions usage. Design and MethodsA cross-sectional, descriptive study was designed. A questionnaire with Likert scales included the particular activities of dying care and spiritual support interventions and an evaluation of the factors influencing the implementation of the interventions in the ICU. The group of respondents consisted of 277 RNs working in 29 ICUs in four CR regions. The Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for statistical evaluation. FindingsThe most and least frequently reported RN activities were treat individuals with dignity and respect and facilitate discussion of funeral arrangements, respectively. The frequencies of the activities in the biological, social, psychological, and spiritual dimensions were negatively correlated with the frequency of providing care to dying patients. A larger number of activities were related to longer lengths of stay in the ICU, higher staffing, more positive opinions of the RNs regarding the importance of education in a palliative care setting, and attending a palliative care education course. ConclusionsThe psychosocial and spiritual activities in the care of dying patients are used infrequently by RNs in CR ICUs. The factors limiting the implementation of palliative care interventions and strategies improving implementation warrant further study. Clinical RelevanceAssessment of nursing activities implemented in the care of dying patients in the ICU may help identify issues specific to nursing practice.