Bereavement coping strategies on the death of the critical ill patients: perceptions and nursing experiences

Aim. To explore the coping strategies responses that the intensive care unit nurses experiment when facing the death of a critical ill patient.Methods. Qualitative study of a phenomenological nature carried out on 16 professionals throughin-depth interviews. The selection of the participants was intentional and the incorporation was progressive until reaching the data saturation. The analytic scheme, proposed by Taylor- Bogdan, was followed to effectuate the data analysis.Results. The coping strategies identified after the qualitative analysis were grouped according to their frequency of appearance in primary and secondary strategies. Acceptance and distance are resources of primary coping strategies, whereas search for social support, self-confidence, cognitive redefinition, generation of positive emotions, denial and search for spiritual support are secondary coping strategies.Conclusion. Bereavement coping strategies on the death of the critical ill patients is a very complex process which implies that nurses mobilize a large group of emotional resources to achieve adaptation. The strategies of acceptance and distance, as they are described in this study, must be considered adaptative strategies that demonstrate very clearly that caring for critical ill patients represents a significant fight for nurses in a personal and professional sense.