Critical Care Experience Shapes Respiratory Therapists’ Attitudes toward Death: A Survey Study

Ting Ling Lee, Jui O. Chen, Nan Wei Liu, Hui Chin Chen, Yi Ling Hsieh, Shih Feng Liu, Jui Fang Liu*, Hui Ling Lin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

Abstract

Respiratory therapists (RTs) frequently encounter death in their work with critically ill patients. Healthcare providers’ attitudes toward death significantly affect their approach to caring for dying patients; however, there is a lack of knowledge on RTs’ attitudes toward death. This study examines how the work environment and personal characteristics of RTs influence their attitudes toward death. Utilizing the Death Attitude Profile-Revised-Chinese questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey compared non-critical care RTs (non-CCRTs, N = 86) to critical care RTs (CCRTs, N = 85). Non-CCRTs displayed significantly lower scores in overall acceptance of death compared to CCRTs (p = 0.015) and a tendency to actively avoid thoughts about death (p = 0.005). CCRTs scored higher in “neutral acceptance” (p = 0.015), and non-CCRTs exhibited higher scores on items reflecting a negative attitude toward death. RTs with shorter professional tenures showed heightened fear of death and avoidance tendencies. Perception of life and death education correlated with higher “fear of death” and “death avoidance” scores (p = 0.001). The findings indicate that CCRTs demonstrate a more neutral acceptance of death. Additionally, experience, sex, mental health status, and life–death education exposure significantly influence RTs’ attitudes toward death.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1533
Number of pages12
JournalHealthcare
Volume12
Issue number15
DOIs
StatePublished - 01 08 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.

Keywords

  • attitudes toward death
  • critical care
  • life and death
  • respiratory therapists

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