A study of the lived experiences of registered nurses who have provided end-of-life care within an intensive care unit.

Background: End-of-life care (EOLC) in the intensive care unit (ICU) has received little attention in the literature in comparison to the considerable amount of existing literature available on EOLC in other areas of nursing. The ethos of the ICU is to preserve life, but as many patients die in this environment, EOLC should be an integral part of the ICU nurse's role. This qualitative study explored the experiences of ICU nurses who had provided EOLC to patients and their families.