The Lived Experience of Nurses Applying with Postmortem Care: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis

Abstract

COVID‐19 is an ongoing pandemic and alarming public health issue throughout the globe. Nursing staff encounter patient deaths many times throughout their careers. The death of a patient is one of the most common stressors associated with their clinical duties. Failing to address these issues mystifies the experience and leads to nurses suppressing their emotions out of fear and discomfort. These barriers hold nurses back from reflecting and prevent them from effectively coping with patient deaths, which negatively impacts their physical and mental health .A qualitative evidence synthesis was conducted to assess the experience of nursing staff with patient deaths and during postmortem care. The databases were searched for qualitative studies published after 2009. The search resulted in a total of 802 articles that were screened for eligibility. Duplicate studies were excluded. After eligibility screening, four qualitative studies on nurses’ experience of patient deaths and postmortem care were identified and included in the analysis. An integrated analysis was conducted on the four qualitative studies. The studies were based in the United States, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. A total of 30 nursing staff reported their experiences of postmortem care. Three themes were identified: concerns associated with postmortem care, anxiety associated with death, and emotional alienation.