Representações sociais de enfermeiros sobre a religiosidade ao cuidar de pacientes em processo de morte/Social representations of nurses about religiosity while caring for patients in the dying process/Representaciones sociales de enfermeros sobre religiosidad al cuidar de pacientes en proceso de muerte

This is a qualitative study, anchored in the Theory of Social Representation and Jodelet thoughts, realized in an Intensive Care and Oncology Unit of a university hospital. The objective was to understand the social representations of nurses on religiosity while caring for dying patients. The data was collected between 2010 May and August, using the technique of Content Analysis of Bardin. The religiosity representations inserted in the caring practice for dying patients, value professional's beliefs about death, its meaning allowing for the development of coping mechanisms. It is considered that the awareness will occur through the understanding of reality, and introducing the theme in the discussion of the quality of health and training of professionals.