Suffering of Critical Care Nurses With End-of-Life Decisions

Critical care units were developed to provide care for seriously ill and critically ill patients. Advances in technology allow physicians and nurses to provide patients with lifesaving and life-prolonging treatments [...]
End-of-life situations occur in critical care units daily, exposing nurses to these situations on a regular basis. These critical care nurses experience emotions similar to the emotions identified as suffering. There is limited information regarding how nurses deal with these emotions or the long-term consequences of continued, unrelieved suffering. This study has implications for all nurses who care for seriously and critically ill adults.