| Kiger3 | Explore the student nurses' involvement with death image and the experience | Grounded theory | n = 24, nursing students | Individual interviews | Comparative analysis | (1) Entry images of death; (2) experience-mediated image of death (rewarding experience and coping); (3) processes of image development affirmation and transformation |
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| Beck4 | Explore the meaning of nursing students' experiences in caring for dying patients | Phenomenology | n = 26, sophomore- and junior-level nursing students | Handwriting papers | Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology: a content analysis | (1) Nursing students experienced a gamut of emotions when caring for dying patients; (2) contemplating the patient's life and death occurred as nursing students cared for their patients; (3) supporting the dying patient's family became an integral part of nursing students' care; (4) nursing students experienced helplessness regarding their role as patient advocates; (5) nursing care for dying patients entailed providing comfort physically, mentally, and spiritually; (6) when caring for dying patients, student nurses' learning flourished |
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| Cooper and Barnett5 | Examine what aspects of caring for dying patients cause anxiety in students nurses during their first year of training | Qualitative description | n = 38, first-year student nurses | Reflective diaries, focus group | Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology: a content analysis | (1) Coping with the physical suffering of patients; (2) the severing of the relationship with the patient; (3) not knowing what to do or say; (4) the type of death; (5) CPR; (6) last offices; (7) coping mechanisms; (8) interventions that may improve the student experience |
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| Van Rooyen et al.6 | Explore and describe how nursing students experience the accompaniment of the dying patient and care of the patient after death | Phenomenology | n = 6, the first two years of student nurses | Individual interviews | Tesch's descriptive analysis method | (1) Student nurse experienced intrapersonal turmoil due to feeling and emotions invoked by nursing the dying patient; (2) student nurse experienced turmoil in interpersonal relationships due to conflict resulting from expectations related to a role model not being met; (3) student nurse experienced a need to find or to create meaning through a transcendental relationship |
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| Allchin7 | Identify and clarify the characteristics of students' experiences in providing care for dying persons and their families | Hermeneutic phenomenology | n = 12, junior- level nursing students | Individual interviews | Giorgi's method | (1) Initial hesitancy and discomfort; (2) reflective musings; (3) personal and professional benefits |
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| Terry and Carroll8 | Investigate first-year nursing students' encounters with patient death | Descriptive phenomenology | n = 14, first-year students | Focus group | Content analysis | (1) Abandonment: students encountered the first death in clinical practice early in their training and could feel abandoned by staff or be guilty of abandoning the patient or relatives through not knowing what to do; (2) emotional distress often resulted from the feelings of abandonment and embraced both personal distress and distress for the patients and their families |
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| Wang et al.9 | Explore the experience of hospice care of the student nurses | Hermeneutic phenomenology | n = 30, bachelor degree nursing students | Individual interviews | Van Manen's category analysis | (1) Students showed great fear when facing patients death; (2) students lacked knowledge of hospice care; (3) students showed a great desire for the knowledge; (4) the ways for students to acquire hospice care information were limited |
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| Sadala and da Silva10 | Understand how nursing undergraduates perceive themselves while care delivery to terminal patients and expose the meaning of their experience | Phenomenology | n = 14, nursing graduates | Individual interviews | Content analysis | (1) Facing the situation of caring for a terminal patient; (2) the relationship with the patient and his/her family; (3) reflection about the experience |
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| Huang et al.11 | Elucidate the experiences of first encountering death by nursing students | Descriptive qualitative method | n = 12, nursing students | Individual interviews | Colaizzi's seven-step method | (1) Providing care during the dying period (feelings of dread and terror, hardship of experiencing patients' life fading away, and devotion to patients care and self-affirmation); (2) facing the moment of patient death (state of being scared or trapped, emotional breakdown); (3) adaptation after patient death (accept or avoidance, growth or escape) |
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| Sanford et al.12 | Examine the experiences of nursing students caring for cancer patients | Descriptive qualitative method | n = 15, undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students | Focus group | Morse and Field method | (1) Caring for patients and their families; (2) interaction between students and healthcare providers; (3) students experiences with dying patients; (4) students' prior experiences with cancer |
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| Parry13 | Understand how a student nurse might feel when confronted with a dying patient | Phenomenology | n = 5, nursing students | Focus group | Content analysis | (1) Emotional influence: shock/fear, speed of deterioration of the patient, symptoms observed, own perception versus reality, need to cry; (2) role of mentor: relationship with mentor, culture of mentor, support from mentor; (3) relationships: with patient, link to own family, support mechanism, with patient's family, dignity; (4) skills: what to say, lack of perceived preparation, last offices |
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| Lu and Shi14 | Describe the experience of undergraduate nursing students who had provided hospice care | Phenomenology | n = 14, nursing students | Individual interviews | Colaizzi's seven-step method | (1) The feelings when facing the dying patient: sadness, empathy, helplessness, fear, and nervousness; (2) the feeling for the last office: taking it as one of the duties of a nurse, but doing it without initiative; (3) the knowledge on hospice care was not enough |
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| Charalambous and Kaite15 | Interpret the students' experiences of coming face-to-face with cancer care | Hermeneutic phenomenology | n = 12, the fourth-year nursing students | Reflective diaries | Content analysis | (1) Being part of the center's life; (2) being sympathetic; (3) being confronted by others; (4) being self-reflective; (5) being trapped in the system; (6) being caring toward the patients family; (7) being better in clinical practice |
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| Munoz-Pino16 | Describe the experiences endured by the third- and fourth-year student nurses upon their first care encounter with a terminal ill patient | Descriptive qualitative method | n = 31, the third- and fourth-year nursing students | Written testimonies | Content analysis | (1) Enriching experience, life learning is accomplished personally and professionally; (2) feelings and emotions upon the first encounter; (3) loving care; (4) sense to nursing; (5) importance of the interdisciplinary healthcare staff and the comprehensive care model; (6) incorporation of the family in caring; (7) need for communication skills |
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| Adesina et al.17 | Explore a cohort of third-year undergraduates attitudes, experiences, knowledge, and education concerning end-of-life care | A combination of open-ended qualitative and closed quantitative questions | n = 87, the third-year nursing students | Open-ended questionnaire | Thematic analysis | (1) The importance of the students' values and beliefs; (2) the influence of experience; (3) their views on what constitutes a good or bad death; (4) their knowledge of ethics and legislation surrounding end-of-life care; (5) how they perceived their level of education and knowledge |
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| Kristina et al.18 | Describe first-year student nurse's experiences of witnessing death and providing end-of-life care | Hermeneutic phenomenology | n = 17, the first-year nursing students | Interview | Van Manen's thematic analysis | (1) The thought of death is more frightening than the actual experiences; (2) daring to approach the dying patient and offering something of oneself; (3) the experience of not sufficing in the face of death; (4) being confronted with one's own feelings |
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| Sampaio et al.19 | Understand the phenomenon experienced by nursing students in view of death and dying | Phenomenology | n = 7, senior nursing students | Interview | Content analysis | (1) Facing death and dying in academic practice; (2) acknowledging impotence in the face of death; (3) glimpsing the possibility of solicitude; (4) interacting with the patients family in view of the loss; (5) experiencing spirituality in the face of dying |
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| Colley20 | Detect the senior nursing students' perceptions of caring for patients at the end-of-life | Phenomenology | n = 71, senior nursing students | Narrative questions | | Students (1) have confidence in the provision of physical care, (2) lack confidence in the provision of emotional care, (3) experience stress and lack of knowledge when caring for patient families, (4) have concern they will be too emotionally involved, and (5) feel personal experiences enhance their confidence |
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| Österlind et al.21 | To describe nursing students' perceptions of caring for dying people after the first year | Phenomenology | n = 17, the third-year nursing students | | | (1) From abstract to reality, (2) from scary to natural, (3) increased knowledge can give bad conscience, (4) time limits versus fear of end-of-life conversations, and (5) meeting with relatives |
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| Garrino et al.22 | Explore student nurses' experience of caring for dying persons and their families and how this experience was influenced by their undergraduate education | Phenomenology | n = 18, undergraduate nursing students | Narrative interview | Giorgi's qualitative phenomenological methodology | (1) Emotions and feelings, (2) reactions and coping strategies, (3) growth in personal and professional awareness, and (4) the professional nursing model |
