EXPERIENCIAS Y PROCESO DE DUELO ENTRE PROFESIONALES DE ENFERMERÍA ONCOLÓGICA PEDIÁTRICA: EXPERIENCES AND GRIEVING PROCESS AMONG PEDIATRIC CANCER NURSES.

Explore how nursing professionals handle the death of a pediatric patient with cancer under their care and identify needs that they face in the workplace. An exploratory qualitative design was used, under the phenomenological framework and the Model of Information, Motivation and Behavioral Skills (IMHB). The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with a sample of ten pediatric oncology nursing professionals. Each interview was transcribed and analyzed to identify thematic axes in the narrative of the participants. The findings revealed four categories that alluded to professional experiences in the face of the death of a patient and their handling of the grieving process. These were: Perception of nursing professionals about cancer; management of the pediatric patient in the terminal phase, coping strategies and areas of professional need. According to the findings, limitations were identified in knowledge about the subject of death and the grieving process of these health professionals. These limitations reflect being an obstacle in their clinical skills and in their capacity for assertive management. It is essential to educate these professionals about Thanatology and its benefits; as well as, to enable them access to psychological interventions for emotional management.