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Abstract

This study aimed to examine the psychological effects of terminal care experience on nursing home staff and analyze the differences between staff who are experienced and those who are inexperienced in providing terminal care. A mailed survey was conducted in 2007.A total of 37% (N = 72) of the participants had experience in terminal care in nursing homes. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the professional efficacy (a subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Survey [MBI-GS]) and tenure (duration of service) of the experienced staff were significantly higher than those of the inexperienced staff. The high professional efficacy noted among the experienced staff suggests that the provision of terminal care in nursing homes does not necessarily lead to burnout among caregivers and may in fact serve as an important motivational factor.

Keywords

end-of-life care nursing home psychology burnout care worker professional efficacy

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Positive Effects of Experience in Terminal Care on Nursing Home Staff in Japan

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