Near death experience: a concept analysis as applied to nursing

Background. A concept is a thought or complicated mental illustration of a phenomenon. Concepts are essential in research development as they are desc ribed as the building blocks of theory. The occurrence of near death experi ences (NDEs) is not an innovative subject. Parallels have existed as early as the Bible and Plato's Republic. The NDE was given further consideration in 1975 by Dr Raymond Moody who initiated an interest from the general publ ic and researchers alike, with his book Life after Life. Method. This paper will use the strategy of concept analysis to find a work ing definition for the concept of the NDE and the implications it has for n ursing. Conclusion. This paper will attest that the number of people who have claim ed to have a NDE is phenomenal and overwhelming. In addition, it claims tha t the numbers of those who have experienced this phenomenon may be underest imated because of the persons' feeling of insecurity in talking with others about their paranormal incident. Therefore, it is vital that nurses become aware of the NDE and how to support the client who has had the experience. The following paper will summarize the different stages of a NDE, the cons equences that one experiences, both positive and negative, and nursing impl ications.