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Factors influencing K orean nurses’ attitudes towards hospice care
Author(s) -
Park K.S.,
Yeom H.A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international nursing review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1466-7657
pISSN - 0020-8132
DOI - 10.1111/inr.12135
Subject(s) - nursing , hospice care , psychology , medicine , family medicine , palliative care
Background While the need for hospice care is increasing in K orea, there is limited research describing the way hospice care is understood by hospital ward nurses who may have relatively limited opportunities for hospice education in their workplace. Aim This study aimed to describe K orean nurses’ attitudes towards hospice care and to examine the relationships between nurses’ attitudes towards hospice care and their demographic and work‐related characteristics. Methods This was a cross‐sectional descriptive study. A total of 348 registered nurses recruited from six general hospitals were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Measurements included general and work‐related characteristics and the F rommelt A ttitude Toward C are of the D ying S cale. Results The mean score for nurses’ attitudes towards hospice care was 2.52 out of a maximum of 3.0. More positive attitudes towards hospice care were associated with older age, married status, a higher level of education, working at a hospice unit, a higher job position, more years of work experience, having previous experience caring for dying patients and having received education in hospice care. Factors predicting nurses’ attitudes towards hospice care included the number of years of work experience and working at a hospice unit in a hospital, with an explanatory power of 22%. Limitations The study was conducted in tertiary care hospitals in Seoul metropolitan area; results may therefore differ in other geographical regions. Conclusion Education on hospice care should be targeted to less experienced, younger staff nurses who have no previous education on hospice care or have not worked in a hospice unit. Implication for Nursing and Health Policy Tertiary hospitals need to provide more opportunities for their nurses to obtain continuing education on hospice care or increase the number of courses available at the institutional level in order to enhance their nurses’ attitudes towards hospice care.