Companioning End-Of-life: Nurses' Experiences of Caring for the Child Who is Dying Through a Relational Ethics Lens

Caring for children who are dying requires exploration to understand and validate the meaning of this lived experience for nurses. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method to answer the research question: What is the meaning of caring for a dying child for nurses within their collective ethical commitments and responsibilities in neonatal and paediatric intensive care units? Relational ethics was the theoretical framework guiding this study, where semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven intensive care nurses. Participants were also asked to provide an image that reflected the meaning of providing this care. Findings are presented in five thematic patterns: a) Careful cultivation of a team approach shapes end-of-life decisions; b) Resilience and affirming of self as nurse arise with alleviating suffering; c) Navigating sustained turmoil; d) Willingly sojourning in loving presence; and, e) Facilitating and valuing a familys role in their experience of end-of-life