Analysis of Nurses' Knowledge in the Implementation of End of Life Care in Intensive Care Units in Indonesia

Abstract

End of life care is a form of comprehensive care to help patients with life-threatening conditions and their families, which can be implemented in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. The aim of this study was to analyze factors associated with nurses’ knowledge in implementing end of life care in the ICU. This study was quantitative research which used an analytic-correlational design with a cross-sectional study approach. The sampling technique used was total sampling, and all nurses working in the ICU of the hospital were recruited (n=40). The research instruments used were a socio-demographic form and a modified RN End of Life Knowledge Assessment survey. This study found that 12.5% of respondents had working experience of at least 72 months; 52.5% had diploma level of education; and 67.5% had poor knowledge. No respondents had obtained training previously. No significant association was found between knowledge and educational level (p = 0.269) or working experience (p = 0.801) using the Spearman test.
 Keywords: end of life care, ICU, knowledge factors, nurses