A Qualitative Research On Near-Death Experience

Objective1. To describe near-death experience (NED) and its contents, compare the results topast research; try to seek new findings in near-death experience.2. Using qualitative research methods to study near-death experience to investigateand analyze the reflections of human body, mind and spirit, rich the knowledge ofclinical nursing staff, and provide information for clinical nursing staff to identifynear-death experience and offer effective nursing care.3. Through the qualitative research of near-death experience, to explore effectivenursing intervention for those who have near-death experiences, rich hospice caremeasures, promote holistic cares for the dying body, mind and spirit.4. Taking NDE as a research path to study human death, to enrich the methods andcontents of death education, reduce fears of dying patients and their families, andhelp those dying people to reach a real comfortable death.MethodsFrom2009December to2011December, a series of qualitative researches weredone in Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong Scienceand Technology University, and another station-level third-grade class-3comprehensive Hospital,16cases were adopted to be the research objects, amongthem3were NDE cases. Investigations were made and some useful informationwas collected successfully. Data from the interviews were thus processed andanalyzed by qualitative method of Husserl’s phenomenological analysis. Auxiliaryresearch methods include literature research, interview, questionnaire andobservation methods.Results1．There are3cases who have described the information of near death experience in16objects. Dimension analysis on the descriptions of NDE content as follows: aphysical feeling of body pain and uncomfortable; a psychological feeling of peaceand no fear, soul feelings of gathering with friends and relatives, seeing religious spirits, past traumatic scenes flashing and etc.2．While those who have NDE felt a body discomfort which can be seen as aphysical impact, their psychological and spiritual perceptions did not causeadverse effects, but showing a relaxed, calm or even more unique spiritualreflection.3．The influence of NDE:（1）Positive effects: positive changes in the selfawareness, interpersonal relationship, life attitude and the concept of life anddeath. After NED people’s characters have been changed to some degree,especially the psychological senses towards disease and death. Their fears of deathand disease are significantly reduced. They become more calmed when they arefacing the disease or other accidents and have more appreciations than ever. Theybegin to pay attention to the health and peace, care for relatives and friends,understand life and value its significance.（2）Negative effects: those who hadNDE will be sensitive to the things which cause the near-death experiences.Conclusions1. Near-death Experience really exists. Although its occurrence was affected by thecharacteristic of diseases and events, the individual reaction conditions, medicalrescue effects, survival rates and other factors, this study confirmed the existenceand checked the consistency of NDE. It is the natural and unique humanreflections when people are facing the threats of serious illness and accidents.2. Nursing response to the primary reactions of NED:On account that there was no specific scale to assess NDE, nursing staff shouldprovide comprehensive cares for the dying patients. Even for those who have lostconsciousness, nursing staff should also provide psychological care so as tostabilize and comfort the dying patients’ emotion. All dying patients should betreated as they are having near death experience and corresponding hospice caresshould be supplied to improve patients’ feel and response.2.1Physical cares should be implemented for the dying patients: to relieve body pain,promote comfort, reduce consumption. The comfortable NDE can be evoked bydischarging electrical stimulations on particular parts of human brain. But thistechnology needs further developments.2.2Psychological cares should carry out for the dying patients: to enhance the psychological comfort, reduce mental stimulation, use nursing touch to strengthenthe psychological comfort, strengthen the psychological resistance.2.3Spiritual cares should be implemented on the dying: to reduce adverse effects ofacousto-optic stimulations, take care of religion and belief.3. Nursing intervention on the secondary reactions of NED:For the secondary reactions of NED, nursing compensations and interventionsshould meet with the goal of improving the quality of life.3.1Nursing responses should be carried out to meet the positive influences on thedying: to respect and accept patients, understand patients, actively encourage andsupport patients, help to guide a healthy life.3.2Collaborative nursing interventions should be provided to reduce the negativeeffects: offering desensitization and relaxation training. The principle ofNewman’s three grade prevention can be applied in the organization of nursingintervention.4. Hospice nursing: to promote a physical and mental good-death. It is Death thatmakes human think about the value of life. It teaches people how to face the death,how to understand the death, how to cherish life and health, how to improve lifequality. From this point of view, NDE has a profound influence for those whohave it5. NED research can be used for psychological and psychiatric treatment, help toimprove the effect. It can be used in the rescue work or treatment for thosewounded in disasters and serious traumas, help them to reduce the energyconsumption caused by panic and restless, save their energy effectively, improvetheir survival rate and cure rate. It can be used in the study about life cycle anddeath, help people to form a rational, objective, open-minded understanding of life,to reduce the fear of death, to increase awareness of the value of life.