Nurses
Nurses as Death Notifiers: a Report from Nurses in
Iran
Nematullah Shomoossi1*,
Mostafa Rad2, Mohsen Kooshan3, Javad Ganjloo3
1.Department of English, Faculty of Medicine, Sabzevar
University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
2.PhD Candidate, Department of Nursing, Faculty of
Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
3. Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and
Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
Correspondence author: nshomoossi[email protected]
Abstract: Background and Purpose: Breaking bad news, particularly death
notifications, is among the hardest tasks of a medical team. Therefore, the
present study was intended to investigate delivering death notifications to
survivors from the perspectives of nurses in Iran. Methods and
Materials: This descriptive analytical study was conducted 97 (29 male
and 68 female) nurses in Iran, who completed a questionnaire including
demographic information, questions on their training and familiarity with SPIKE
or ABCDE strategies, as well as 25 Likert questions based on ABCDE strategies.
The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics and
correlation coefficients. Results: The results indicated that
most nurses had witnessed death victims but they reported no formal training
for death notifications and helping survivors to control their emotions. Also,
the participants were unfamiliar with SPIKE (99%) or ABCDE
(88%) strategies. Also, most of the participants agreed with adopting the
ABCDE strategies in delivering death notifications.Conclusion: The
results indicated an urgent need for training nurses on communication skills to
deliver death notifications, with special attention to the emotions and
reactions of the survivors.
[Shomoossi
N., Rad M., Kooshan M., Ganjloo J. Nurses as Death Notifiers: a Report
from Nurses in Iran. Life Sci J2013;10(4s):26-31]
(ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 4
Keywords: Bad News; Death Notification; Nurses; Patients;
Survivors.
