Korean J Hosp Palliat Care.  2019 Dec;22(4):174-184. 10.14475/kjhpc.2019.22.4.174.

Current Status of End-of-Life Care Education in Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum

• Kwon SH
• Cho YS

• KMID: 2469277
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2019.22.4.174

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to analyze the current status of end-of-life (EoL) care education of the undergraduate nursing curriculum and senior students' EoL care experience and competency.
METHODS
A survey was conducted with 41 nursing schools and 622 senior nursing students on June 2018. The questionnaire consisted of 38 items on teaching regarding EoL care and 17 items on EoL care competencies based on the suggestions made by the American Nurses Association.
RESULTS
Only 20% among 41 nursing schools opened an EoL care course as an elective, and the course was taken by 5.1% students. Of 622 students, 70.7% witnessed death of patients during their clinical training, but 74.8% received no or little education on EoL care from their clinical training instructors. Two of 38 education contents on EoL care were taught in class for over 80% of the students. All students scored below 3 points (2.31±0.66) for all 17 competencies, which means that they cannot perform EoL care.
CONCLUSION
This study showed that there was a serious deficiency in undergraduate nursing education on EoL care. Accordingly, most nursing students who would graduate soon considered themselves incapable of performing EoL care. Nurses experience death and dying as a part of their practice and should be prepared to provide adequate EoL care. Therefore, it is urgent to improve EoL care training in the undergraduate nursing education.

Keyword

Terminal care; Clinical competence; Nursing education

MeSH Terms

American Nurses' Association
Clinical Competence
Curriculum*
Education*
Education, Nursing
Humans
Nursing*
Schools, Nursing
Students, Nursing
Terminal Care