Experiences and feelings of nursing professionals in caring of the dead patient

This study aimed to understand the experiences and feelings of ten professional nurses related to the dead patient, in a private hospital of the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil. We used a qualitative approach, descriptive, exploratory, with data collected in July 2009, through interviews with semi-structured questionnaire. The results were grouped into the categories: feelings about the patient's death, reactions to the death and preparing the patient's body. It was concluded that the most remarkable experiences were related to the first contact with the death, the presence of emotional bonding with patients and families and the patients' age at death. The latter two are considered hindering elements of care offered to patients without life.