Assessment of nurses' approaches to palliative and end-of-life care in the intensive care and high-dependency unit.

Abstract

Background: Palliative care provision is a serious challenge for nursing staff as it involves end-of-life care decisions, as well as a very close relationship with the grief and pain of the patient and their relatives. Their beliefs and attitudes regarding palliative care affect the quality of care, and can potentially influence whether a nurse experiences burnout in their career.

Aims: To investigate the attitudes and beliefs of nursing staff about palliative care and correlation with various demographic factors.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design and included nurses and nursing assistants who worked at Intensive Care Units and High Dependency Units. The authors assessed the attitudes on palliative care using the Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale (FATCOD) scale.

Findings: A total of 150 nurses/nursing assistants. Their satisfaction with care and the months since the patient's initial diagnosis were positively associated with a more positive quality of life. Participants' beliefs about end-of-life care are positively and sometimes negatively influenced by demographic factors, such as their gender and previous work experience.

Conclusion: The findings of the study may prove valuable in understanding the challenges faced by nurses caring for patients in the final stretch of the patient's life and may be the starting basis for initiating educational programmes on palliative care.