A Qualitative Study of Perception and Experience Toward End-of-Life Care Among Nursing Students Who Witnessed Dying People in Their Family

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of Participants

Participant	Age (Year)	Gender	Religion	Family Member	Cause Death
P1	23	Female	Islam	Aunt	Post-COVID-19
P2	24	Female	Islam	Grandfather and grandmother	CVD and GA
P3	23	Female	Islam	Grandmother	Hemorrhagic stroke
P4	23	Female	Islam	Grandmother	CVD
P5	23	Female	Islam	Grandmother	Undescripted
P6	23	Female	Islam	Father	Crush injury
P7	23	Female	Christine	Grandmother	CVD
P8	24	Female	Islam	Grandfather and grandmother	Stroke and DM
P9	23	Female	Islam	Grandmother	Crush injury
P10	23	Female	Islam	Grandmother	Pleural effusion
P11	23	Female	Islam	Grandfather	Crush injury
P12	23	Female	Islam	Grandfather and grandmother	CKD and stroke
P13	23	Female	Islam	Grandfather and grandmother	Hemorrhoid and ovary cancer
P14	24	Female	Islam	Biological sister	Fibrosarcoma cancer
P15	23	Female	Islam	Grandmother	Undescripted

Abbreviations: CVD, cardiovascular disease; DM, diabetes mellitus; GA, goat arthritis; CKD, chronic kidney disease.

Table 2 Superordinate, Subordinate Themes, and Participant Quotes

Superordinate Themes	Subordinate Themes	Quotes
Experience during witnessed dying people	Sad	Q1: “Sad, and wondering whether they are really gone or just sleeping, hard to believe” (P1) Q2: “Sad and lost” (P5) Q3: “Saddened because they can no longer see and interact with their loved ones” (p10) Q4: “Sad, heartbroken, and afraid” (P8) Q5: “Sad and constantly reminded” (P9) Q6: “Sad, to the point of not being able to sleep for several days” (P12) Q7: “Sad and frustrated because they couldn’t be there to accompany them” (p13)
	Disbelief	Q8: “I was shocked and couldn’t believe it because it happened suddenly.” (P6) Q9: “At first, I was confused about how to react, I felt disbelief, and then I cried and felt sad. Sad because of the loss and not being by their side during the remaining days of their life.” (P11)
	Loss	Q10: “I felt a loss for several days because usually every year she would come to our house during Eid, but Allah SWT had called her due to a serious illness she had been suffering from” (P13) Q11: “I am very sad because I only have 1 younger sister and I feel a great loss because I was very close to her” (P14) Q12: “Feeling lost, because she used to be there every day to talk to, but now she’s gone” (P15)
Perception towards EoLC	The presence during the approaching of death becomes a factor in accepting loss	Q13: “Like losing something in life, feeling empty and guilty and unable to do anything.” (P2) Q14: “Feeling sad at first, but grateful that before passing away, able to meet and hold their hand even with a blank stare.” (P4) Q15: “Very sad, especially for my father’s grandmother because she didn’t meet him in the last moments.” (P7)
	The need for family presence	Q16: “Because, during the approach of death, we may need the people we love to be close to us.” (P3) Q17: “Preparing oneself before the end comes, spending more time with family, turning suffering into recovery, a source of motivation, and improving the quality of life for both the person and the family.” (P4) Q18: If there is still someone accompanying the patient during their remaining life (P9)
	The need for religious guidance during the approaching of death	Q19: “Because, when the deceased is critically ill in the ICU, even though they are unconscious, they need to be guided to listen to Islamic phrases before passing away.” (P2) Q20: “So that [someone] can avoid suffering when facing death and be ready to meet Allah.” (P6) Q21: “Because it is still insufficient, and the level of unpreparedness of the family to accompany [someone] according to religious guidance.” (7)

Abbreviations: P, participant; ICU, intensive care unit.