Palliative Care Knowledge and Attitudes towards End-of-Life Care among Undergraduate Nursing Students at Al-Quds University: Implications for Palestinian Education

Abstract

(1) Background: Nursing students should be well-prepared and educated in order to provide high-quality palliative care (PC) to patients with chronic diseases, which will have an impact on the quality of care for dying patients in the future; this study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge about PC and attitudes towards the care of dying patients among Palestinian nursing undergraduate students; (2) Methods: The study was a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study design of 410 nursing students who participated and completed the questionnaire. The PC Quiz for Nurses (PCQN) and the Short Version of the Frommelt Attitudes Towards Care of the Dying (FATCOD) Form B Scales were used to assess students’ PC knowledge and attitudes toward PC and caring for dying patients. Generalized linear regression analysis was applied to identify the influencing variables on knowledge and attitudes; (3) Results: The overall knowledge mean score was 7.42 ± 2.93, ranging from 0 to 20, which indicates that nursing students lacked knowledge about PC; however, they have a positive attitude (25.94 ± 4.72; ranging from 9 to 45) toward care for a dying person. Receiving lectures or training about PC, caring for relatives in their last days of life, gender, and year of study were independently associated with students’ knowledge and attitudes about PC and care of dying patients; and (4) Conclusion: This study generated evidence showing insufficient knowledge about PC among nursing students at the Al-Quds University, Palestine, albeit a favorable attitude towards EoLC was shown. Integrating PC education into the nursing curriculum at Palestinian Universities need to increase their awareness of PC.

Knowledge about Palliative Care and Attitudes toward Care of the Dying among Primary Care Nurses in Spain

“…When analyzing the results obtained, we see that the nurses participating in our study have an averagely low level of knowledge, which is higher in those who report having some training or experience in the PC field. These results show the importance of these professionals receiving at least some basic training in PC during their undergraduate training, which is very heterogeneous in our country [ 51 , 52 ]. As indicated in previous studies, there is a need for improved palliative care education in clinical practice settings and undergraduate programs to improve registered nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about end-of-life care [ 53 , 54 ].…”

“…Another aspect to consider is the specialization of Family and Community Nurses, whom we see in the study obtaining better results at this level of knowledge, which could reflect their training during their residency [ 52 , 57 , 58 ]. Regarding the training of specialist nurses, it should be taken into account that among the learning outcomes of care for older people is found in the curriculum of the training of specialist nurses the “Plan, implement and coordinate jointly with other professionals and specialists in palliative care programs”.…”

Towards the Provision of Palliative Care Services in the Intensive Coronary Care Units: Nurses’ Knowledge, Training Needs, and Related-Barriers

“…The absence of an association between nurses’ knowledge and their personal and professional characteristics has also been observed by other studies. However, Palestinian studies showed a positive association between PC knowledge and a high educational level and previous training [ 12 , 29 ]. There was no association in this study because the majority of nurses reported a lack of PC knowledge and did not attend any PC training.…”

Processo de morte e morrer e cuidados paliativos: um pleito necessário para graduação em enfermagem [Death and dying process and palliative care: a necessary claim for nursing undergraduation] [Proceso de muerte y el morir y cuidados paliativos: un reclamo necesario para la carrera de enfermería]

“…Em estudo palestino, foi evidenciada atitude favorável entre os estudantes de enfermagem em relação ao cuidado de pacientes terminais, que pode ser influenciado dado as crenças religiosas islâmicas que reconhecem a inevitabilidade da morte e a aceitam como um processo normal, mas também ao fato de terem cuidado de parentes em seus últimos dias de vida. No entanto, os autores afirmam que as atitudes dos estudantes palestinos poderiam ser fortalecidas por meio do aprimoramento de seus conhecimentos sobre cuidados paliativos 16 .…”