Emergency nurses’ experience on end-of-life care: An integrative review

Abstract

Emergency nurses are regarded as the key healthcare professional (HCP) in the emergency department endof-life (ED-EOL) care. The emergency nurses encountered the dying and death on a regular base. Still, they find the EOL care is another aspect and caring from their usual practice. With the successful ED-EOL care delivery, it can help to meet the needs of the imminent patients and families. Emergency nurses admired the pain and symptoms management helping the ED-EOL patients. This paper reviewed the existing literature on the emergency nurses’ perception of ED-EOL care. A systematic search of the literature published between January 2005 and January 2016 was conducted to identify published studies concerning emergency nurses’ practice and the influencing factors in EOL care provision. The final sample for this integrative review was comprised of 23 studies. It is suggested in the results of the included studies that emergency nurses’ EOL care in the clinical context could involve the care of the dying patients and their families in both physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects. Further study of the emergency nurses and different ED-HCPs are encouraged which could make the ED-EOL care more fruitful and bright in the future.