Making Sense of the Final Moments: A Qualitative Study of Informal Caregivers' Perception of Good Death in the Bereavement Process.
Merve Işık, Ogün Asan
PMID 42272326WHAT IT FOUND
Fifteen bereaved relatives described a good death in the ICU as painless, peaceful, and marked by brief conscious farewells and family presence.
Spiritual rituals and community support provided meaning and relief. Physical exhaustion and visiting restrictions were major burdens.
Key findings
01Caregivers defined a good death primarily by physical comfort, the absence of pain, and the ability to have brief conscious interactions or farewells despite ICU limitations.
02Religious and cultural practices, including prayer, ritual washing, and communal mourning, were central to how caregivers made sense of the death and found relief.
03Long-term caregiving prior to the ICU stay caused significant physical burnout, sleep disruption, and emotional strain, which impacted the bereavement experience.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in a single ICU in Türkiye, so findings may not transfer to other cultural or healthcare contexts. Telephone interviews limited the ability to observe non-verbal cues and emotional depth compared to face-to-face meetings. Detailed clinical information about the deceased patients (such as whether they were intubated or if death was sudden) was not collected, so these factors could not be accounted for in the analysis. One researcher was a nurse in the same ICU, which introduces potential bias despite efforts to avoid contacting relatives of patients they had personally cared for.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and stated they have nothing to report regarding funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings apply universally to all ICU deaths or cultures. The heavy emphasis on Islamic rituals and specific Turkish social norms is context-dependent. Additionally, this is a qualitative study of perceptions, not evidence that specific nursing interventions improve bereavement outcomes.