ATTITUDES OF NURSES WORKING EMERGENCY AND INTENSIVE CARE UNITS TOWARD GOOD DEATH AND DEATH ANXIETY

Abstract

Aim: Our study aimed to define and measure attitudes toward good death and death anxiety in nurses working at emergency service and intensive care. Material and Method:The scope of this research involved the nurses working at emergency service and intensive care units in public hospitals and university hospitals associated with the Local Health Authority in Burdur (N=168) The sample not selected; the questionnaire forms were applied to 140 volunteers nurses who agreed to participate in this study. The research data included collecting sociodemographic data of the nurses, and from administering the Templer Death Anxiety Scale and the Good Death Scale. The results were evaluated at 95% confidence interval and at p<.05 significance level. Results: The study included 140 nurses working either at emergency services (46.4%) or intensive care units (53.6%) of the hospital. The total Death Anxiety score was 8.24 +/- 3.05. The inter-subscale correlations of Good Death scale subgroups were found to be statistically significant (Personal control r=0.65, p<.001; Clinical criteria r=.72. p<.001: Personal control and Clinical criteria r=0.63 p=.001), a significant relationship (but at a low level) was determined between subgroups and Death Anxiety (Death Anxiety r=0.23, p=0.006, Personal control r=0.18, p=0.037; Clinical criteria r=023 p=0.006). No correlation was found between the number of working years in the profession, working years in the current institution, age, monthly working hours and the sub-scales of the Death Anxiety and the Good Death scale. Discussion: In Turkey. the concept of "good death has not yet been clarified and yet professionals have had to approach this stressful condition and topic on their own. We believe that these professionals should be supported through guidance, mentoring, and education programs to deal with both the clinical and the humanitarian aspects of death, an inevitable constant in life.