A study of death education for nursing students:scoping review

This study aimed to research existing death education literature,explore its necessity,forms,and impacts,and provide references for regions lacking it,by conducting a scoping review of 18 documents from 10 databases,finding high demand among nursing students and positive effects of various teaching strategies,concluding that death education is necessary and future research should focus on enhancing evaluation timeliness and standardizing criteria to develop a complete system.

A good death from the perspective of healthcare providers from the internal medicine department in Shanghai:A qualitative study

Objective:This study aimed to explore the understanding of healthcare providers working in the internal medicine department in Shanghai regarding a good death.Methods:The data of the study was collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews.Through purposive sampling,16 physicians and 13 nurses who had experiences of caring for adult patients with life-threatening illnesses at the end-of-life stage in Shanghai were interviewed.The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Results:Six characteristics of a good death emerged:no suffering,companionship and care,no worries or concerns,dying with dignity,involvement and acceptance,and less impact on the family.Eighteen categories were identified:dying without experiencing suffering;being relieved of symptoms and suffering;being relieved of psychological suffering;avoiding the use of futile treatment and resuscita-tion;being cared for and accompanied by family;receiving good health care;having a meaningful life without regrets;making good arrangements for family issues;having a chance to say goodbye;having a quality life before death;dying in a decent environment;the personal will to be respected;maintaining the integrity of the body;death of the patient being accepted by the family and healthcare providers;the death occurred despite the best efforts to care for the patient;limited financial and care burden;shortly affected quality of life of the patient;and improved family cohesion.Conclusion:Family members’early involvement in caring for patients at the end-of-life stage helps achieve a good death.For patients with a terminal illness,avoiding unnecessary medical treatment and resuscitation could be the first step in achieving better patient death and promoting the development of advanced care planning in the mainland of China.

The perceptions on good death of the older adults in the semi-urban community:A qualitative study

Objective This study aimed to explore the perceptions of good death of the older adults living in Bang Nang Li Sub-District,Amphawa District,Samut Songkhram Province,Thailand.Method The data of the study was collected using in-depth interviews between October 2019 to January 2020.The data collected a total of 14 older adults who had firsthand experience in caring for terminally ill patients were recruited for the study.Content analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data.Results The results of this study revealed the perceptions of good death which were categorized into three main themes and eight sub-themes,including 1)death without suffering(not suffering from life support devices,dying with care);2)natural death(death with the end of life expectancy,death with illness or ailments);and 3)death without the worries(preparation for death,spiritual and belief practice toward preparation for death,family and property management before death,death among family members and at their familiar place).Conclusion The findings of this research provided the insight to clarify the understanding of the perceptions on a good death of older adults.The findings can be used to support the practice and management of nursing education and health care providers who have to be involved in palliative care for terminally ill older adults.

To Die at Home or to End Life in an Institution

In the Western world, 60%-80% of all deaths occur in an institution. This study aimed to determine the main causes for the low proportion of deaths at home in Norway. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in six Norwegian municipalities. The study employed official statistics and structured interviews with key staff individuals (spring 2012). We included 41 individuals that received palliative home care;21 died at home. The rate of deaths at home may be increased by an acceptance of death and confidence that home is a good, safe place to die. This study showed how challenging it was for the family and health personnel to be a fellow Pellegrino in the last steps of life. However, when physical distress is under control, and when a dying patient and his significant other genuinely wish for death at home, it is necessary to control physical distress. Greater holistic well-being may then be achieved at home than in the hospital.