title: End-of-life experiences and deathbed phenomena as reported by Brazilian healthcare professionals in different healthcare settings.
abstract: The objectives of the present study were to describe and compare the characteristics and reports of end-of-life experiences (ELEs) by healthcare professionals at different institutions and to investigate the influence of religious beliefs on these reports.
  
  
  
  A multicenter study was carried out in Brazil that included six nursing homes (NHs), a cancer hospital (ONC), and a palliative care (PC) unit. Sociodemographic data, ELE reports (Fenwick's questionnaire), religiosity (the Duke Religion Index), spirituality (the Spirituality Self-Rating Scale), and mental health (the DASS-21 questionnaire) were assessed. The analysis was performed using ANOVA and chi-square tests in order to compare ELE perceptions in these different settings.
  
  
  
  A total of 133 healthcare professionals (46 ONC, 36 PC, and 51 NH) were interviewed, 70% of whom recounted at least one ELE report in the previous five years. The most common ELEs were "visions of dead relatives collecting the dying person" (88.2%), "a desire to mend family rifts" (84.9%), and "visions of dead relatives near the bed providing emotional comfort" (80.6%). Most healthcare professionals (70-80%) believed that these experiences had a spiritual significance and were not due to biological effects. Comparison among settings revealed that those working in the PC unit had more reports, a greater openness about the issue, and more interest in training. Individual religious beliefs had no influence on perception of ELEs.
  
  
  
  Our study revealed that ELE reports are not uncommon in clinical practice and seem to be little influenced by religious or spiritual beliefs. Although strongly reported in all settings, palliative care professionals tend to be more open to this issue and have a stronger perception of ELEs.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine,Federal University of Juiz de Fora,Juiz de Fora,Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudia Soares Dos
authors.initials: CSD
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Barretos Cancer Hospital,Barretos,Brazil.
authors.forename: Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro
authors.initials: BSR
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine,Federal University of Juiz de Fora,Juiz de Fora,Brazil.
authors.forename: Alessandra Lamas Granero
authors.initials: ALG
authors.lastname: Lucchetti
authors.affiliation: Barretos Cancer Hospital,Barretos,Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry,Kings College,London,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fenwick
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine,Federal University of Juiz de Fora,Juiz de Fora,Brazil.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucchetti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001938:Brazil; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Cancer care; Deathbed phenomena; End-of-life experiences; Palliative care; Spirituality