Influence of basic attributes and attitudes of nurses toward death on nurse turnover: A prospective study

Abstract

BackgroundFacing patient death is an unavoidable aspect of work for nurses working in healthcare settings. The attitudes of nurses toward death, however, can exert a negative psychological impact on themselves that can even cause them to quit this occupation.AimThe objective of this study was to explore the attitudes of nurses toward death, the factors influencing said attitudes, and whether nurses basic attributes and attitudes toward death were associated with their future turnover behavior.MethodA prospective study design was adopted. The recruitment period ran from October 2017 to March 2018. A total of 323 nurses completed a basic attributes survey as well as the Death Attitude Profile‐Revised questionnaire and were followed until May 30, 2021. The factors influencing turnover were then analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. The STROBE checklist was used for reporting in this study.ResultsAge was found to be significantly associated with fear of death and death avoidance. Compared with nurses with no religion, nurses who were Buddhists/Taoists were more inclined toward neutral acceptance in their attitude toward death, whereas those who were Christians/Catholics were more inclined toward escape acceptance. Nurses with less than three years of work experience were more likely to resign earlier than those with more than 3 years of work experience. Fear of death and approach acceptance could be used to predict turnover.ConclusionsYounger nurses were more likely to exhibit fear of death and escape behavior, and those with less work experience or a greater fear of death were more likely to resign. Nurses with religious beliefs could accept patient death more positively, whereas those who faced death with positive approach acceptance displayed reductions in turnover.Implication for nursing and health policyYounger nurses should receive more education regarding death early in their training. Hospitals should also offer more education from a religious aspect in order to reduce turnover.

Attitudes towards death among the nursing staff in oncology departments and hospices

“…The palliative care nurses demonstrated high acceptance of death reality (neutral acceptance 82%). The most common attitudes revealed in studies with the nursing staff of various departments (including nurses in oncology units and palliative care institutions) were approach acceptance and neutral acceptance [16,17]. Oncology and haematology nurses demonstrated significantly higher scores for fear of death, death avoidance and escape avoidance compared to palliative care nurses in the study conducted by Gama et al [18].…”