J Korean Clin Nurs Res.  2023 Apr;29(1):75-84. 10.22650/JKCNR.2023.29.1.75.

Development of a Protocol for Nursing Care after Death for Adult Patients in Hospitals

• Kim KK
• Kim AD
• Ahn KA
• Cheon J

• KMID: 2549584
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22650/JKCNR.2023.29.1.75

Abstract

Purpose
This study developed a protocol for nursing care after death for adult patients in hospitals.
Methods
This was a methodological study to develop a care after death protocol. The preliminary protocol was developed based on a literature review, guidelines, and practice recommendations from groups of experts and clinical nurses. Content validity was evaluated by a group of experts (n=6) and nurses (n=30) in two hospitals.
Results
The preliminary protocol recommendations were modified by validation and the open-question analysis results. The final protocol comprised three general recommendations and 43 recommendations in five steps that are verification and notification of a death, personal care of the body, viewing the patient, patient transfer, and documentation and self-care.
Conclusion
This study result provides nurses with a consensus information on patient care after death and family support in a hospital setting. This nursing protocol is expected to improve the quality of care after death for adult patients and their families, and can be used for developing educational and emotional support for nurses to accomplish their important role.

Keyword

Death; Nurses; Protocol; Patients