The Vital Role of Iraqi Nurses Knowledge in Palliative Care
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59675/U222Keywords:
Palliative Care, Nursing Knowledge, End-of-Life Care, Iraq, Education.Abstract
Palliative care (PC) is one of the significant components of modern health care systems, a service that provides patients with the highest quality of life during the period of life-threatening illnesses. Although nurses are the main service deliverers of PC, deficits in knowledge may compromise the quality of the service they offer. At present, this cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the level of knowledge regarding PC among the Registered Nurses in Thi-Qar Governorate- Iraq so as to determine areas for educational intervention.
Study employed a cross-sectional design, and the participants were 450 nurses working in Thi-Qar governorate, Iraq in the period of October 2023 to January 2024. The researcher-developed tool used to gather information on sociodemographic and tested the domain of PC, such as symptom control, ethical issues, and communication. Data analysis was carried out using the analysis program SPSS whereby descriptive analysis in addition to multiple regression was utilized with the aim of identifying correlation in-between the demographic factors and knowledge in PC.
The study revealed a wide range of PC knowledge among participants. While nurses demonstrated relatively good understanding in areas like adjuvant therapies and bowel management for opioid use, significant knowledge gaps were evident in understanding the broader applications of PC and common misconceptions surrounding opioid use. Notably, older nurses and those without specific PC training scored significantly lower on the knowledge assessment. Conversely, nurses working in intensive care units consistently demonstrated higher knowledge levels.
These findings highlight the crucial need for targeted and ongoing PC education among Iraqi nurses. Educational interventions should address identified knowledge gaps, particularly concerning the comprehensive nature of PC and accurate information about opioid use, ultimately improving the quality of end-of-life care for patients and their families.
Downloads
References
Molano LMC. Death and Grief: A Complex Thought Point of View. Palliative Care-Current Practice and Future Perspectives: IntechOpen; 2024.
WHO. Palliative care key facts: World Health Organization; [updated 5 August, 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care.
Rumbold B, Aoun SM, editors. Palliative and End-of-Life Care Service Models: to what extent are consumer perspectives considered? Healthcare; 2021: MDPI. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101286
Gómez-Vírseda C, De Maeseneer Y, Gastmans C. Relational autonomy in end-of-life care ethics: a contextualized approach to real-life complexities. BMC Medical Ethics. 2020;21:1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-020-00495-1
Stenman T, Näppä U, Rönngren Y, Melin-Johansson C. “Daring to deal with the difficult and unexpected” registered nurses’ confidential conversations with patients with palliative care needs: a qualitative interview study. BMC palliative care. 2023;22(1):108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-023-01228-y
Moran S, Bailey M, Doody O. An integrative review to identify how nurses practicing in inpatient specialist palliative care units uphold the values of nursing. BMC palliative care. 2021;20:1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-021-00810-6
Clark DD. A Literature Review on Understanding, Solidifying, and Expanding the Role of Art Therapy in Death and Dying. 2023.
Hökkä M, Martins Pereira S, Pölkki T, Kyngäs H, Hernández-Marrero P. Nursing competencies across different levels of palliative care provision: A systematic integrative review with thematic synthesis. Palliative medicine. 2020;34(7):851-70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216320918798
Alshammari F, Sim J, Lapkin S, Stephens M. Registered nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about end-of-life care in non-specialist palliative care settings: A mixed studies review. Nurse education in practice. 2022;59:103294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2022.103294
Ghaemizade Shushtari SS, Molavynejad S, Adineh M, Savaie M, Sharhani A. Effect of end-of-life nursing education on the knowledge and performance of nurses in the intensive care unit: a quasi-experimental study. BMC nursing. 2022;21(1):102. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00880-8
Al Alwan NA. General oncology care in Iraq. Cancer in the Arab world: Springer Singapore Singapore; 2022. p. 63-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7945-2_5
Fadhil SA, Ghali HH. The Current Situation of Palliative Care Services in Iraq. In: Silbermann M, editor. Palliative Care for Chronic Cancer Patients in the Community: Global Approaches and Future Applications. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2021. p. 341-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54526-0_29
Nwaesei C. Navigating the Trajectory of Palliative Care Pedagogy Through the Relationship of Patient, Family Members, and Healthcare Professionals. 2020.
Mitchell L. Increase Knowledge and Attitude in End-of-Life for Long-Term Care Nurses: Walden University; 2022.
Etland C. Palliative and End-of-Life Care. Critical Care Nursing-E-Book: Critical Care Nursing-E-Book. 2021:150.
Etafa W, Wakuma B, Fetensa G, Tsegaye R, Abdisa E, Oluma A, et al. Nurses’ knowledge about palliative care and attitude towards end-of-life care in public hospitals in Wollega zones: A multicenter cross-sectional study. PloS one. 2020;15(10):e0238357. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238357
Hao Y, Zhan L, Huang M, Cui X, Zhou Y, Xu E. Nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards palliative care and death: a learning intervention. BMC Palliative Care. 2021;20(1):50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-021-00738-x
Kim S, Lee K, Kim S. Knowledge, attitude, confidence, and educational needs of palliative care in nurses caring for non-cancer patients: a cross-sectional, descriptive study. BMC palliative care. 2020;19:1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-020-00581-6
Subih M, Al-Amer R, Malak MZ, Randall DC, Darwish R, Alomari D, et al. Knowledge of critical care nurses about end-of-life care towards terminal illnesses: levels and correlating factors. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing. 2022;59:00469580221080036. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580221080036
Baudoin CD, McCauley AJ, Davis AH. New graduate nurses in the intensive care setting: preparing them for patient death. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America. 2022;34(1):91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnc.2021.11.007
Rosa WE, Ferrell BR, Mazanec P. Global integration of palliative nursing education to improve health crisis preparedness. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing. 2021;52(3):130-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20210216-07
Petersen CL, Schiltz S. Care of the spirit: Effects of an interdisciplinary undergraduate end-of-life course on knowledge, competence, and response empathy. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing. 2020;22(4):298-304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/NJH.0000000000000660
Shepherd J, Waller A, Sanson-Fisher R, Clark K, Ball J. Barriers to the provision of optimal care to dying patients in hospital: a cross-sectional study of nurses' perceptions. TheAustralian Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2021 Jun 1;38(3):14-24 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37464/2020.383.315
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Academic International Journal of Medical Update
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
