The psychological impact of death on health professionals working with cancer

Abstract

Research has shown how prolonged exposure to patient death and suffering increases psychological distress among health care workers. For this reason, it is no surprise that studies have also documented a correlation between stress and burnout among individuals working with cancer patients. This study aimed to understand the lived experience of nurses and doctors working with cancer and dealing with death. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised as a qualitative approach for this study. Data was collected through audio recorded semi-structured individual interviews. Six participants were recruited through purposive sampling for the study which consisted of three doctors and three nurses, all of whom worked with cancer patients. Analysis brought forth three main superordinate themes; the challenging nature of the experience of losing a patient, the effects of being exposed to a high mortality rate and the weaknesses within the health care system. These themes were evident in interviews with both the doctors and the nurses working with cancer patients. The findings showed that patient death was rather distressing for both the doctors and nurses and how such an experience triggered negative emotions in these professionals. They also showed different ways and strategies which these professionals may have adopted in order to cope with the negative emotions they experienced following the death of a patient as well as the desire for the provision of psychological assistance to be made available in local hospitals.