Abstract: Objective Understanding the feelings and opinions of nurses in participating in end-of-life decision-making for terminally ill patients, providing a reference basis for promoting the implementation of clinical nurses in end-of-life decision-making work. Methods Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit 14 nurses for semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data from the interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis to extract themes. Results The experiences of nurses in their involvement in end-of-life decision-making for terminally ill patients can be categorized into 4 themes and 15 sub-themes. Four themes included meeting the needs of patients (information delivery, emotional support), nurses' multiple emotional experiences (professional value, professional responsibility, growth and gains, sadness, conflicts, empathy fatigue), encountering complex clinical environment restrictions (busy nursing work, acknowledging the authority of doctors, tense medical environment, legal and ethical considerations), and the need to improve practical abilities and qualities (weaknesses in experience and methods, strong demand for education and training). Conclusion Nurses play roles and responsibilities in information delivery and emotional support in their involvement in end-of-life decision-making for terminally ill patients. They also experience complex emotional experiences and face restrictions from the complex clinical environment. Furthermore, they express a desire to improve their abilities and qualities through education, training, and rich practical experience, hoping to provide high-quality end-of-life care services in China.

Key words: patient, terminally ill, end-of-life decision-making, nurse, palliative care, qualitative study