Last utterances of patients in Covid Intensive Care Units: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Nurses who provide patient care in COVID-19 intensive care have witnessed that patients experience problems such as fear of death, loneliness, helplessness, uncertainty, anxiety, etc. OBJECTIVE: In this study, it was aimed to examine the messages written by the patients who receive treatment in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) through letters and their feelings and thoughts which they wanted to convey to their families. METHOD: This study employed a qualitative research design. The sample of the study consisted of 52 patients admitted to the ICU. The data of the study were obtained by examining the letters written by the patients who received treatment in the COVID-19 ICU between April 2021 and June 2021. The researchers collected the research data through document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods. FINDINGS: The messages that patients in the ICU wanted to convey to their families were identified as having two main themes: “emotions in the experience of illness” and “views on death.” The “views on death” theme included sub-themes such as fear of death, the meaning of life, acceptance of death and Saying halal for the rights over each other, and wills. The “emotions in the experience of illness” theme included sub-themes of love, hope/ hopelessness, loneliness, and longing. CONCLUSION: It is assumed that patients have the risk of encountering a variety of problems during their stay in ICU due to COVID-19 and that providing good physical and psychosocial care will improve the coping mechanisms of patients.