Experiencias vividas ante la muerte de pacientes, por el profesional de Enfermería en la unidad de cuidados intensivos del adulto

No one prepares us for death, nor for the beings we love, nor for those we care for, this becomes a recurrent experience in the nursing professional, leading to one more existential crisis if the death occurs suddenly in an environment of loneliness, such as the Intensive Care Unit for the Adult (UCIA) where the last person the patient sees is the nursing staff. Objective: To analyze the experiences experienced in the face of the death of patients in the professional practice of Nursing at the UCIA. Methodology: It is a qualitative, descriptive and epistemological study, under the focus of Heidegger phenomenology. With a sample of 6 nursing professionals assigned to the UCIA. Results: Findings found, 67% of nursing professionals are women; age 31-40 predominates with 83%; 67% have experience in critical patient care over 5 years. It is pointed out that the death of the patient affects their work, and that, despite their academic training, they require training in tanatology. It was observed that constant exposure to death, along with work overload, generates emotional exhaustion that leads them to adopt attitudes of indifference as a defense mechanism. Conclusion: Death represents a complex phenomenon for nursing professionals, hindering emotional management and continuity of care. In addition, there are no courses workshops in the institution on the management of death, it is necessary to structure a training program.