One hundred and forty undergraduate students responded to an online survey investigating their awareness of and beliefs about 12 unusual end-of-life phenomena (EOLP). Three quarters or more of the students had heard about the following EOLP: deathbed visions (75%), after-death communications (84%), near-death experiences (86%), and dying people choosing their time of death (88%). Students were least aware of the phenomena of shapes leaving the body after death (30%) and clocks or watches stopping when someone dies (26%). The two most common sources of students’ knowledge about EOLP were from watching TV/movies (52–79%) and the internet (38–71%); the least common source was personal/direct experience with the EOLP (2–36%). Fifty-three percent of the students strongly agreed/agreed that EOLP are spiritual events, while 41% strongly agreed/agreed that there are medical explanations for EOLP. Suggestions for future research are offered.
BrayneS.FarnhamC.FenwickP. (2006). Deathbed phenomena and their effect on a palliative care team: A pilot study.The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 23(1), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/104990910602300104
2.
BrayneS.LovelaceH.FenwickP. (2008). End-of-life experiences and the dying process in a Gloucestershire nursing home as reported by nurses and care assistants. The American Journal of Hospice & palliative Care, 25(3), 195–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909108315302
Claxton-OldfieldS.DunnettA. (2018). Hospice palliative care volunteers’ experiences with unusual end-of-life phenomena. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 77(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222816666541
5.
Claxton-OldfieldS.GallantM.Claxton-OldfieldJ. (2020). The impact of unusual end-of- life phenomena on hospice palliative care volunteers and their perceived needs for training to respond to them. Omega, 81(4), 577–591. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222818788238
6.
Claxton-OldfieldS.RichardN. (2022). Nursing home staff members’ experiences with and beliefs about unusual end-of-life phenomena. Omega, 86(2), 609–623. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222820981238
DamA. K. (2016). Significance of end-of-life dreams and visions experienced by the terminally ill in rural and urban India. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 22(2), 130–134. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.179600
9.
DokaK. J. (2020). When we die: Extraordinary experiences at life’s end. Llewellyn Publications.
10.
FenwickP.FenwickE. (2013). The art of dying. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
11.
FenwickP.LovelaceH.BrayneS. (2010). Comfort for the dying: Five year retrospective and one year prospective studies of end of life experiences. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 51(2), 173–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2009.10.004
12.
GreysonB. (2021). After: A doctor explores what near-death experiences reveal about life and beyond. New York, NY: St: Martin’s Publishing Group.
13.
IANDS. (2024). International association of near-dear studies, Inc. https://iands.org/
14.
KellehearA. (2020). Visitors at the end of life: Finding meaning and purpose in near-dear phenomena. Columbia University Press.
15.
KellehearA.PogonetV.Mindruta-StratanR.GorelcoV. (2011-2012). Deathbed visions from the Republic of Moldova: A content analysis of family observations. Omega, 64 (4), 303-317, https://doi.org/10.2190/om.64.4.b
16.
KerrC.MardorossianC. (2020). Death is but a dream: Finding hope and meaning at life’s end. Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
17.
KerrC. W.DonnellyJ. P.WrightS. T.KuszczakS. M.BanasA.GrantP. C.LuczkiewiczD. L. (2014). End-of-life dreams and visions: A longitudinal study of hospice patients’ experiences. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 17(3), 296–303. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2013.0371
18.
MacConvilleU.McQuillanR. (2010). Surveying deathbed phenomena. Irish Medical Times, 44(19), 36.
19.
MoritaT.NaitoA. S.AoyamaM.OgawaA.AizawaI.MorookaR.KawaharaM.KizawaY.ShimaY.TsunetoS.MiyashitaM. (2016). Nationwide Japanese survey about deathbed visions: “My deceased mother took me to heaven.”. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 52(5), 646–654.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.04.013
20.
MuthumanaS. P.KumariM.KellehearA.KumarS.MoosaF. (2010-2011). Deathbed visions from India: A study of family observations in northern Kerala. Omega, 62(2), 97–109, https://doi.org/10.2190/om.62.2.a
21.
NosekC. L.KerrC. W.WoodworthJ.WrightS. T.GrantP. C.KuszczakS. M.BanasA.LuczkiewiczD. L.DepnerR. M. (2015). End-of-life dreams and visions: A qualitative perspective from hospice patients. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative care, 32(3), 269–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909113517291
22.
NyblomS.MolanderU.BenkelI. (2022). End-of-life dreams and visions as perceived by palliative care professionals: A qualitative study. Palliative & Supportive Care, 20(6), 801–806. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951521001681
23.
O'ConnorD.LeighC. (2003). Palliative care nurses' experiences of paranormal phenomena and their influence on nursing practice. Paper presented at the Making Sense of Dying and Death Inter-disciplinaryConference, November 21-23,Paris, France.
24.
SantosC. S. D.PaivaB. S. R.LucchettiA. L. G.PaivaC. E.FenwickP.LucchettiG. (2017). End-of-life experiences and deathbed phenomena as reported by Brazilian healthcare professionals in different healthcare settings. Palliative & Supportive Care, 15(4), 425–433. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951516000869
