Nurse and patient

The objective of this study was to describe the lived experience of caring for persons who had a peaceful death in the intensive care units in Thailand. A qualitative research design informed by hermeneutic phenomenology was used to analyze data. Participants were 10 intensive care nurses working at adult intensive care units in south Thailand. A snowball purposive sampling method was used to select the participants. Participant inclusion criteria were at least six months' critical care nursing experience, experience in caring for a person who had peaceful death, able to describe peaceful death, and willing to participate in this study. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were interviewed. Face-to-face individual verbal interviews were conducted in the Thai language. These interviews were audiotape recorded. Descriptions were transcribed and translated for data analysis. Van Manen's (1990) hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to analyze and interpret the data. The findings of this study were presented in each of 4 categories of the lived world of temporality, of spatiality, of corporeality, and of relationality. The description of the lived experience of caring for persons who had a peaceful death in ICU was, "understanding the other through the valuing of experience and enhancing relations with others by recognizing time is short and is a priority." This study may contribute to nursing knowledge of the end-of-life care to enhance a peaceful death in intensive care units congruently with Thai culture and society. In addition, this study directs the translations of its knowledge into implications that will benefit in helping Thai nursing to move forward. The implications of this study in advance will benefit terminally ill persons and family members regarding receiving good quality end-of-life care.

The number of adults over the age of 65 years living with one of more chronic illness in the United States is an acknowledged health challenge for the 21st century. This qualitative research investigation examined the lived experience for adults living with one or more chronic illnesses in the context of a community of faith with access to a faith community nurse. Interpretative hermeneutic analysis was used for the phenomenological study. Findings indicate that the adults expressed their primary essence is living in abundance while living faith and living caring. The findings from this study describe the relationship between adults living with chronic illness, the community of faith and the faith community nurse. Further, findings from this study contribute to essential knowledge necessary for developing models of health care in the community for adults living with chronic illness and nursing care in the community that are distinct and complex. Findings will also support the development of interventions in contexts of faith communities to support and strengthen adults living with one or more chronic illness. The emerging specialty practice in nursing labeled faith community nursing holds promise to come alongside current models of health care to support living in abundance.