Core competencies in palliative care among oncology nurses: An observational study

BACKGROUND: Palliative care requires a collaborative approach from a multidisciplinary team, incorporating nurses with ethical, clinical, communicative-relational, psychosocial, and teamwork skills. However, many professionals feel unprepared to face end-of-life challenges, highlighting a lack of skills, especially regarding psychosocial and spiritual aspects. AIM: The purpose of this study is to explore nurses' self-perception of competencies in palliative care. METHODS:  A single-center descriptive observational study was conducted among palliative and non-palliative care nurses at the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan (INT), using the short Italian version of the Professional Competence Scale (PCSQ). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used along with multivariate ANOVA for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 122 nurses participated (response rate: 52%), predominantly women (78%), aged 25-34 (50%), with a degree (46%) and over 10 years of experience (41%). The majority had no experience (71%) in palliative care, while 16% were currently working in this field. Statistical analysis revealed no significant correlations between educational level and responses. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that experience in palliative care significantly influenced self-assessment scores, such as in activating non-pharmacological management strategies (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS:  Nurses perceive high competence in ethical and clinical decision-making in palliative care, influenced more by experience than by training. Addressing patients' subjective needs and using non-pharmacological interventions remain a challenge for nurses not working in palliative care settings.