Palliative Care Competencies of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Thailand

Abstract

Nurses are essential in coordinating palliative care among healthcare teams, yet nursing education still lacks explicit focus on this area. This study aims to explore nursing students’ competencies including palliative care knowledge (PCKN), attitudes toward death and end-of-life care (ADEoLC), perceived self-efficacy in EOL care (PSEC), ethical understanding in palliative care (EUPC), and fear and stress related to providing EOL care (FSEC), as well as the relationships among these variables. A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was employed to examine the relationships among those variables. The sample consisted of 355 fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected using six questionnaires: Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ), PCKN Questionnaire, ADEoLC Questionnaire, PSEC Questionnaire, EUPC Questionnaire, and FSEC Scale. The study found that nearly half of the students (51%) exhibited low PCKN, with a mean score of 19.59/32. The average score for ADEoLC was 94.75/125, with 64.2% demonstrating a positive attitude. The mean score for PSEC was 69.90/100, while the mean score for EUPC was 3.30/5. Fear and stress related to providing end-of-life care scored 3.78 and 5.11 out of 10, respectively. PCKN was positively correlated with ADEoLC and EUPC but not with PSEC. ADEoLC was positively correlated with both PSEC and EUPC. PSEC was positively correlated with EUPC. Fear was correlated with stress related to end-of-life care, but neither was associated with other variables. The results provide the basic information for appropriate planning to enhance nursing student competencies to provide quality palliative and end-of-life care.