Mortuary attendants’ experiences of dealing with human dead bodies in Kavango and Zambezi regions: A qualitative study

Abstract

Mortuary attendants provide essential support services to healthcare delivery by providing afterlife care for mortal human remains. The study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of mortuary attendants in dealing with human dead bodies. A qualitative, explorative, and descriptive design was employed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 8 purposively sampled mortuary attendants. Three themes arose: Positive experience (learning opportunity), Negative experience (Nausea and diminished appetite, social community stigma, psychological trauma, stress, risk of infections and decomposed human dead bodies), and Challenges (Poor record keeping, limited of equipment and lack of training). Mortuary attendants report being stigmatized by their friends, relatives, and communities, exposed to an infectious environment, and suffer psychological and emotional stress.