Özet:

Objective; This study was conducted to examine the perceived barriers and supportive behaviours of intensive care nurses in end-of-life care. Method; The descriptive study was conducted with 201 nurses working in the intensive care units of four training and research hospitals in Istanbul between September – December 2021. Research data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the “Personal Information Form” and the “Perceived Barriers and Supportive Behaviours Scale of Intensive Care Nurses in End-of-Life Care”. Results; Their mean score from Perceived Barriers Behaviours (PIS) was 5,88±2,43 and 4,71±2,83 from Perceived Supportive Behaviours (PSBS). The 3 items with the highest PIS score were “Families do not want to accept the poor prognosis of the patient”, “Family visiting hours are very restrictive” and “The family can only grieve until a new patient is admitted.” The 3 items with the highest PSBS score were “Physicians talk to family members after the death of the patient”, “Healthcare worker prepares all documents to be signed by family members before leaving the unit” and “Nurses say supportive words to each other”. The barrier behaviours towards end-of-life care the intensive care nurses perceived included families not accepting the poor prognosis of the patient and limited visiting hours and the grieving, while the supportive behaviours they perceived were physicians talking to family members after the patient’s death, preparing documents to be signed by family members in advance and nurses saying supportive words to each otherConclusion; The biggest barriers while providing end-of-life care are family-related.Supportive behaviors while providing end-of-life care are the physicians' interview with family members, health professionals preparing the necessary documents in a certain time and supporting family members spiritually in this process.

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