Strategies faced situations of terminality and death in neonatal intensive care: nursing perspectives

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17765/2176-9206.2026v19e13661

Keywords:

Nursing Team, Perinatal Death, End-of-Life Care, Intensive Care Units

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the scientific evidence on strategies used by the nursing team when facing situations of terminality and death in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This was an integrative literature review conducted in September and October 2024 in the MEDLINE, PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, Integrated BVS, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases, including original articles carried out in neonatal intensive care units, available online, with no time or language restrictions. A total of 26 studies were analyzed, predominantly quantitative, and the evidence highlighted the conceptual differentiation between end-of-life care and palliative care, the importance of continuing health education for professional preparedness, and the individual and collective strategies adopted by the nursing team to cope with these situations. The findings point to the need for permanent health education for professionals and for the parents and families of neonates, as well as the importance of collective coping, multiprofessional action, inclusion of spirituality, open dialogue, and the implementation of care protocols.

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Author Biographies

Luciana de Carvalho Pires, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Graduated in Nursing from Universidade Franciscana - UFN (2021). Currently a master's student in the Graduate Program in Nursing at the Federal University of Santa Maria (PPGENF/UFSM). With 25 years of experience in nursing, she worked as a Temporary 3rd Sergeant in Health for 8 years in the Brazilian Army. She is currently a nursing technician at the University Hospital of Santa Maria (HUSM). She is a researcher and a member of the Research Group on Neonatal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Health - CRIANDO/UFSM. She has experience in the field of Nursing, with an emphasis on Neonatal Intensive Care Units. She also works on the following topics: Alzheimer's disease, technologies, elderly care, elderly health, and students.

Eliane Tatsch Neves, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Full Professor at the Federal University of Santa Maria, teaching in the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs - Master's and Doctorate in Nursing. Leader of the Research Group on Neonatal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Health - CRIANDO/UFSM. Scientific Editor of the Journal of Nursing at UFSM - REUFSM. Member of the Research Ethics Committee at UFSM. Full member of the Advisory Technical Chamber on Rare Diseases of the Ministry of Health - PORTARIA N 155, MAY 5, 2022. Nurse graduated from UFSM. Specialist in Pediatric Nursing and Public Health. Postdoctoral fellow in Public Health Nursing at the School of Nursing at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo - EERP/USP (2014-2015), funded by CNPq. Master's in Nursing from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2002) and PhD in Nursing from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2007), with a doctoral internship at the Culture and Mental Health Research Unit (McGill University - Montreal, Canada). She was the Coordinator of the Titling Commission of the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Nurses - SOBEP (2015-2018). Member of the Permanent Titling Commission of SOBEP (2019 - present). She was the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Nursing at the Federal University of Santa Maria/UFSM (Management 2015-2019). Her research focuses on Pediatric Nursing, particularly on the following topics: child health; chronic illness in childhood, children with special health needs; health education; empowerment for health promotion. Research using group data collection methods (focus groups, operative groups, and sensitive creative methods). Mixed Methods Research. Awarded the Universal Call MCTI/CNPq N 14/2014. CNPq Productivity in Research Scholar - PQ2 (2016 - present). Founding member of the Latin American Chapter of Mixed Methods Research.

Camila Freitas Hausen, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Nurse graduated from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) (2018). Residency in Hospital Management and Care in the Public Health System, with an emphasis on maternal and child health at UFSM/HUSM (2020). Postgraduate in Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (2021). Master's in Nursing from UFSM (2023). Postgraduate in Women's Health (2024). Postgraduate student in Nursing Education. Member of the Research Group "Neonatal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Health (CRIANDO)" at UFSM. Staff nurse in the Maternity Ward and Obstetric Center at the Dr. Astrogildo De Azevedo Charity Hospital (HCAA). Works in the areas of maternal and child health, neonatal health, and developmental care.

Camila Lovato de Figueiredo, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Student in the 10th semester of the Nursing undergraduate program at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). Member of the Research Group on Neonatal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Health - CRIANDO. Scientific initiation scholarship holder FIPE/UFSM (2021-2022), PIC/EBSERH (2022-2023), PIBIC/CNPq (2023-2024), and PIC/EBSERH (2024-present). Areas of interest: Oncology and Pediatric Oncology; Pediatric emergency and urgent care; Neonatal, Child, Adolescent, and Family Health.

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Published

2026-07-17

How to Cite

Pires, L. de C., Neves, E. T., Hausen, C. F., & Figueiredo, C. L. de. (2026). Strategies faced situations of terminality and death in neonatal intensive care: nursing perspectives . Saúde E Pesquisa, 19, e13661. https://doi.org/10.17765/2176-9206.2026v19e13661

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Vol. 19 (2026)

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Artigos de Revisão

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