Nurses' knowledge about end-of-life care: where are we?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: During the end-of-life stage, patients suffer from multiple symptoms or impairments of altered body systems. This study examined nurses' knowledge of end-of-life care and also the relationship between the nurses' knowledge and their characteristics.

METHODS: This was a descriptive, correlational study using a convenience sample of 368 Korean registered nurses working in cancer units, general wards, and intensive care units of a university health system. Twenty questions of the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (PCQN) were used to examine nurses' knowledge of end-of-life care.

RESULTS: The mean score on the PCQN was 8.95 of a possible 20. Participants who had the end-of-life care education (M = 9.57, SD = 2.19) tended to score higher than those without this education (M = 8.47, SD = 2.34), and the difference was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Comprehensive continuing education programs on end-of-life care should be provided to fill the gap in knowledge and skill of staff nurses.