Perspective of Doctors and Nurses in a General Hospital on End-of-life Care at Group Homes for Older People with Dementia；The Standpoint of a Healthcare Professional and a Family

The needs of end‑of‑life care provided at Group Homes （ GHs ） for older people with dementia are estimated to be increased. We investigated the perspective of doctors and nurses working at a general hospital on providing end‑of life care at GHs for future educational activities. We conducted an anonymous self‑administered questionnaire with doctors and nurses about their subjective knowledge and perspective of end‑of‑ life care in GHs using several‑scale model. A total of 193 doctors and 670 nurses provided valid responses. More than 75% of both doctors and nurses had knowledge on GHs. Doctors’ perspective on end‑of‑life care were not different depending on their age, gender, length of period as a doctor, and their stand standpoint as a health professional and a family member. They were agreeable to end‑of‑life care at GHs more than nurses did. Nurses at the age of 40 and over and/or more than 10 years of experience significantly agreed to end‑of life care at GHs especially from the standpoint as a family member. This study suggests that practical workshop for medical staff at general hospitals on their possible involvement in end‑of‑life care at GHs would be effective to promote end‑of‑life care.