Abstract: Objective: To deeply understand the nursing dilemma of ICU nurses on thirst of critically ill patients, and to provide reference for alleviating thirst discomfort of those patients. Methods: By using the semi-structured interview method, 16 ICU nurses were given in-depth interviews, and the interview data were then analyzed employing thematic analysis. Results: The nursing dilemma in ICU on thirst of critically ill patients was refined into three themes: difficulty in evaluating thirst, nurses' own factors and medical environment factors. Conclusion: We should actively explore the gold standard for evaluating patients' thirst, strengthen organizational construction and improve nursing, so as to provide better care for mitigating the discomfort of thirst in critically ill patients.

Key words: Intensive Care Unit; thirst; qualitative study; nursing