Nursing home nurses' ways of knowing about peaceful deaths in end-of-life care of residents: Personal knowledge and strategies

This study attempted to conceptualize theways of knowing that nursing home nurses have about peaceful deaths in their end-of-life care of residents. This was a qualitative study carried out in South Korea using in-depth interviews with 21 experienced nurses. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze interview data. The results of this study revealed 5 themes and 16 subthemes: (1) "recognizing," which was based on the subthemes: (a) change in muscle tone, (b) change in abilities, (c) change in excretion, (d) change in blood circulation; (2) "nesting," which was based on the subthemes: (a) familiar room, (b) room ready for death, (c) private room; (3) "comfort," which was based on the subthemes: (a) relief of symptoms, (b) acceptance-oriented interventions, (c) emotional support, (d) promotion of spiritual peace; (4) "fulfillment," which was based on the subthemes: (a) meeting missing people, (b) spending the final moments with family; and (5) "presence," which was based on the subthemes: (a) maintaining self-esteem until the end, (b) not saying hurtful words, (c) partnership until the end. The results were categorized into nurses' personal strategies based on their experience, practical nursing knowledge, nursing interventions, and nursing evaluation criteria. These results could have implications for nursing care and nursing education.