With the growing need to integrate palliative care into healthcare systems, nurses in hospital settings often provide care for patients with life-limiting conditions, many of whom lack formal education in palliative care. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and self-competence of nurses working in hospital settings regarding palliative care.
Methods
This study evaluated 129 hospital nurses in Colorado. It used the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing, the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale, and the Palliative Care Nursing Self-Competency Scale to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and perceived self-competence.
Results
The mean scores were knowledge, 11.69 (SD = 2.8); attitudes, 123.35 (SD = 11.44); and self-competence, 167.5 (SD = 31.5). The lowest scores were in psychosocial and spiritual care. Nurses generally feel competent; however, they often lack confidence in addressing patients’ social and spiritual needs. They experienced unease when discussing death and exhibited paternalistic attitudes. Significant differences were found in educational background, nursing experience, personal caregiving experience, and practice setting. Positive correlations exist between attitudes, knowledge, and self-competence, indicating that greater knowledge and competence were associated with better attitudes toward end-of-life care.
Conclusions
This study highlights the need for educational interventions focusing on communication skills, pain management, psychological and spiritual care, and patient-centered care to improve nurses’ competence in delivering high-quality palliative care in hospital settings.
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