[Reactions and feelings of nursing professionals facing their patients' death].

This study aims to know the reactions and feelings of nursing professionals facing their patients' death. This qualitative research was developed at the Medical Clinic Unit of a university hospital in Southern Brazil. The population of the study was composed of four nurses and five nursing technicians that work at this unit. Data were collected in the second semester of 2006 through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with the use of thematic analysis. The analysisproduced three categories reactions of nursing professionals facing death in daily work, feelings towards facing death in daily work; and nursing team members facing the care of the body after death. Results indicate that there is a need for discussing this issue in the workplace in order to prepare these healthcare workers to deal with their patients' death.