How the death of a patient can impact on nurses: A literature review

During 2012 there were 499,331 deaths registered in England and Wales, a rise of 3.1% compared with 2011. Almost half of these occurred in National Health Service Hospitals.
(Office for National Statistics, 2012). These figures indicate a substantial amount of individuals dying in a hospital setting each year, therefore a large proportion of patients will be receiving some form of care prior to and at death (Blackwell 2010 p.1). Numerous research studies have been carried out by theorists identifying the impact of bereavement on different individuals. The earliest thorough study of grief and loss developed from Freud with his classic paper ‘Mourning and Melancholia’ (Freud 1917 cited in Payne et al 1999).
Freud believed that for the bereaved to detach from the deceased one must work through their grief by reviewing memories and thoughts of the deceased (Ellman 2010). Other theorists have recently identified death and the importance of understanding it. 'Death is a natural progression from life. Most nurses will be exposed to the physical and emotional effects of this experience as they care for a dying patient. The nurse is taught how to provide support for the patient and family as they proceed through the stages of grief.
Often, however the nurse may not realise his or her own need to grieve'. (Brosche 2003 p.
173).
Although nurses try to remain professional whilst at work, once they are home and the uniform is removed , emotions that were kept at bay may begin to surface. The main purpose of this literature review is to identify the effects of patient death on nurses within a hospital setting, to recognise any impacts that this may have on them during work hours or in an outside environment, identifying helpful support mechanisms, training and