J Korean Crit Care Nurs.  2024 Oct;17(3):87-98. 10.34250/jkccn.2024.17.3.87.

Effectiveness of End-of-Life Care Debriefing for Intensive Care Unit Nurses

• Park SH
• Lee JE
• Jung YJ
• Yoo HN
• Kim YS
• Yi YH

• KMID: 2560214
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.34250/jkccn.2024.17.3.87

Abstract

Purpose
: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of end-of-life care debriefing as an intervention to reduce moral distress among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses after end-of-life care.
Methods
: This quasiexperimental study included 104 nurses (46 in the control group and 58 in the intervention group) working in three medical ICUs and two surgical ICUs. The data collection period was from September 1, 2017, to January 31, 2018, and end-of-life care debriefing in the intervention group was implemented over three months. Debriefings were conducted in groups or individually, with eight people participating in three or more debriefings. Comparisons of end-of-life care stress, end-of-life care attitudes, and wellness between the two groups were performed using an ANCOVA. Satisfaction with the debriefing was analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results
: End-of-life care stress and wellness did not differ between the groups, but there was a significant difference in end-of-life care attitudes. Overall, 50% of the participants were satisfied with the debriefing.
Conclusion
: Based on the finding that end-of-life care debriefing has a positive impact on ICU nurses’ attitudes toward end-of-life care, it can be used as an effective measure to reduce nurses’ moral distress. An institutional debriefing system should be established and operationalized.

Keyword

Terminal care, Crisis intervention, Intensive care units, Nurses; 생애 말 간호, 위기중재, 중환자실, 간호사