In the past decade, palliative-care training and education have focused mainly on the needs of cancer patients and their families. Palliative care of terminally ill cancer patients involves holistic treatment, including the physical, psychosocial, spiritual and social aspects of care. No consensus has emerged, however, regarding palliative care for of non-cancer patients. This study was conducted to determine the knowledge and attitudes of clinical nurses regarding the general topic of end-of-life (EOL) care in order to guide future education and promote high-quality clinical nursing. This cross-sectional study consisted of a survey of clinical nurses at a regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan. A self-reported questionnaire including items on basic data as well as the nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding EOL care was distributed to 500 nurses. Of the 500 questionnaires distributed, 411 were returned. The number of fully completed questionnaires was 353. Most respondents reported feeling inadequately prepared for the tasks of EOL care. Knowledge and attitudes regarding EOL care were related to department, seniority, length of palliative-care training, and experiences of EOL care. The nurses' knowledge of EOL care was well correlated to their attitudes about such care. Although the need for palliative care in illnesses other than cancer has been increasingly accepted, clinical nurses have inadequate knowledge of EOL care. Medical institutions should offer more educational courses designed to increase nurses' EOL care abilities and encourage positive attitudes toward EOL care so that dying patients and their families can receive the best possible holistic care.
In the past decade, palliative-care training and education have focused mainly on the needs of cancer patients and their families. Palliative care of terminally ill cancer patients involves holistic treatment, including the physical, psychosocial, spiritual and social aspects of care. No consensus has emerged, however, regarding palliative care for of non-cancer patients. This study was conducted to determine the knowledge and attitudes of clinical nurses regarding the general topic of end-of-life (EOL) care in order to guide future education and promote high-quality clinical nursing. This cross-sectional study consisted of a survey of clinical nurses at a regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan. A self-reported questionnaire including items on basic data as well as the nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding EOL care was distributed to 500 nurses. Of the 500 questionnaires distributed, 411 were returned. The number of fully completed questionnaires was 353. Most respondents reported feeling inadequately prepared for the tasks of EOL care. Knowledge and attitudes regarding EOL care were related to department, seniority, length of palliative-care training, and experiences of EOL care. The nurses' knowledge of EOL care was well correlated to their attitudes about such care. Although the need for palliative care in illnesses other than cancer has been increasingly accepted, clinical nurses have inadequate knowledge of EOL care. Medical institutions should offer more educational courses designed to increase nurses' EOL care abilities and encourage positive attitudes toward EOL care so that dying patients and their families can receive the best possible holistic care.
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