This study delves into the intensive care unit nurses' experiences with death and their meaning-making processes around it. Nurses frequently encounter patient deaths, which leads to high levels of stress and anxiety, resulting in burnout, emotional exhaustion, and, in some cases, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even suicidal thoughts. Additionally, this burnout and anxiety negatively affect the quality of care and patient health. Although efforts have been made to address these challenges, there is still no comprehensive understanding of how nurses make sense of death and the cultural impact on their experiences.

The findings of this research could encourage healthcare organizations to review supportive policies and create healthier work environments for nurses. It may also lead to the development of educational programs to help nurses cope with the emotional challenges of facing death.

Using a qualitative approach and descriptive phenomenology method, this study aims to examine the psychological and emotional aspects related to death from the perspective of nurses. The research sample consists of intensive care unit nurses in hospitals across Gilan Province in the year 2024. Purposeful sampling is employed, and the primary data collection tool is semi-structured interviews, which will be analyzed using Colaizzi’s method.