Navigating Death in the Field: A Qualitative Exploration of Prehospital Death Notification in South Africa

This dataset contains anonymised qualitative data generated for a Master of Philosophy research project examining the perceptions and lived experiences of Emergency Care Providers (ECPs) involved in delivering death notifications within the South African prehospital environment. The study aimed to explore how prehospital clinicians understand, approach, and emotionally process the task of informing families of a patient’s death outside of hospital settings—a role that is increasingly recognised as both unavoidable and psychologically demanding within EMS practice.The dataset includes verbatim, de-identified interview transcripts collected from ECPs across varying qualification levels and operational contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit rich narrative accounts relating to challenges, communication strategies, personal coping mechanisms, training received, and perceptions of organisational support. The data provides insight into the intersection of clinical responsibility, ethical communication, emotional labour, and professional identity during death notification events.This dataset contributes to the growing body of evidence on prehospital communication practices, clinician wellbeing, and the need for structured training and policy frameworks to support EMS professionals in handling death notifications compassionately and competently.