Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Cheryl McGinnis
Abstract
Most nurses have limited education on end-of-life care (EoLC), which can affect their ability to provide care to meet the needs of the dying patient. Nurses in a critical care unit in a hospital in the Southeastern United States lacked education on EoLC for their patients. The purpose of this study was to develop a project guided by Kolcaba’s theory on caring. The staff education project addressed the attitudes and knowledge of 36 nurses before and after an educational presentation on EoLC. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results indicated that 56% of the staff nurses had never received prior education on EoLC. In addition, 92% stated they had been providing care to dying patients. After receiving the educational program on EoLC, 35 participants strongly agreed, and 1 participant agreed that the program content extended their knowledge of EoLC. All participants reported that the content was applicable to their job in caring for patients. This project has the potential to promote positive social change through EoLC education to improve the knowledge and confidence of nurses working with dying patients and their families, thereby improving the patient and family experience with EoLC.
Recommended Citation
Hare, Kimberly Ann, "Evidence-Based End-of-Life Care Education for Intensive Care Nurses" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 8616.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/8616
