The aim of this study was to understand the attitudes of front-line clinical nurses toward hospice care in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide a source of reference for hospice care education and training in hospitals treating patients with COVID-19.
Method:
Front-line nurses from a designated COVID-19 hospital in Wuhan, China, participated. Participants completed the Chinese versions of the General Information Questionnaire, the Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale.
Results:
A total of 149 questionnaires were included in the analysis. The median total hospice care attitudes score was median 102.00(interquartile range, 95.5-120.50). The nurses’ attitudes toward hospice care were significantly associated with their age, knowledge of hospice care, level of empathy, and self-efficacy.
Conclusion:
The attitudes of front-line nurses toward hospice care need to be improved. Hospital departments should establish an effective public health emergency strategy, provide training to increase front-line nurses’ knowledge and practical experience of hospice care, cultivate nurses’ empathy, and enhance their sense of self-efficacy, in order to improve the quality of hospice care for patients and their families.
ShahidZKalayanamitraRMcClaffertyB, et al.COVID-19 and older adults: what we know. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020;68(5):926–929. doi:10.1111/jgs.16472
2.
ZhouFYuTDuR, et al.Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet. 282020;395(10229):1054–1062. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3
3.
Epidemiology Working Group for NCIP Epidemic Response. The epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in China. Chin J Epidemiol. 2020;41(2):145–151. doi:10.3760/cma.j.issn.0254-6450.2020.02.003
4.
YangXYuYXuJ, et al.Clinical course and outcomes of critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a single-centered, retrospective, observational study. Lancet Respir Med. 2020;8(5):475–481. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30079-5
5.
LeongIYLeeAONgTW, et al.The challenge of providing holistic care in a viral epidemic: opportunities for palliative care. Palliat Med. 2004;18(1):12–18. doi:10.1191/0269216304pm859oa
6.
DowningJ. Palliative nursing and the Ebola crisis. Int J Palliat Nurs. 2014;20(12):575. doi:10.12968/ijpn.2014.20.12.575
7.
PattisonN. End-of-life decisions and care in the midst of a global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2020;58:102862. doi:10.1016/j.iccn.2020.102862
8.
Fusi-SchmidhauserTPrestonNJKellerNGamondiC. Conservative management of COVID-19 patients-emergency palliative care in action. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020;60(1): e27–e30. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.03.030
9.
HendinALa RivièreCGWilliscroftDMO’ConnorEHughesJFischerLM. End-of-life care in the emergency department for the patient imminently dying of a highly transmissible acute respiratory infection (such as COVID-19). CJEM. 2020;22(4):414–417. doi:10.1017/cem.2020.352
10.
SongXFuWLiuX, et al.Mental health status of medical staff in emergency departments during the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic in China. Brain, Behav Immun. 2020;88:60–65. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2020.06.002
11.
AlharbiJJacksonDUsherK. The potential for COVID-19 to contribute to compassion fatigue in critical care nurses. J Clin Nurs. 2020;29(15-16):2762–2764. doi:10.1111/jocn.15314
12.
RazbanFIranmaneshSRafieiH. Nurses’ attitudes toward palliative care in south-east Iran. Int J Palliat Nurs. 2013;19(8):403–410. doi:10.12968/ijpn.2013.19.8.403
13.
FrommeltKH. The effects of death education on nurses’ attitudes toward caring for terminally ill persons and their families. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 1991;8(5):37–43. doi:10.1177/104990919100800509
14.
MengZLiuYZhangQZhangna. The application of Chinese version of hospice care attitude scale in junior college nursing students and its enlightenment to hospice care education. General Nursing. 2017;15(1):109–110. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-4748.2017.01.046
15.
MengZLiYZhiCGaoL. Correlation between nurses′ attitudes to terminal patients and their personal attitudes toward death. J Nurs Sci. 2014;29(02):51–53. doi:10.3870/hlxzz.2014.02.051
16.
HojatMGonnellaJSNascaTJMangioneSVergareMMageeM. Physician empathy: definition, components, measurement, and relationship to gender and specialty. Am J Psychiatry. 2002;159(9):1563–1569. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.9.1563
17.
HsiaoCYTsaiYFKaoYC. Psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Students. J Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs. 2013;20(10):866–873. doi:10.1111/jpm.12024
18.
ScholzU DBSudSSchwarzerR. Is general self-efficacy a universal construct? Psychometric findings from 25 countries. Eur J Psychol Assess. 2002;18(3):242–251. doi:10.1027//1015-5759.18.3.242
19.
CheungSKSunSY. Assessment of optimistic self-beliefs: further validation of the Chinese version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Psychological Rep. 1999;85(3):1221–1224. doi:10.2466/pr0.1999.85.3f.1221
20.
KaradagEParlar KilicSUgurOAkyolMA. Attitudes of nurses in turkey toward care of dying individual and the associated religious and cultural factors. J Relig Health. 2019;58(1):303–316. doi:10.1007/s10943-018-0657-4
21.
LancasterRJKautzmannCMichealJCJChandrasekaranLJambunathanJChapinTM. Attitudes of nurses towards care of the dying patient in India. Int J Palliat Nurs. 2017;23(11):558–566. doi:10.12968/ijpn.2017.23.11.558
22.
HoTMBarberoEHidalgoCCampsC. Spanish nephrology nurses’ views and attitudes towards caring for dying patients. J Ren Care. 2010;36(1):2–8. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6686.2010.00141.x
23.
LangeMThomBKlineNE. Assessing nurses’ attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients in a comprehensive cancer center. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2008;35(6):955–959. doi:10.1188/08.ONF.955-959
24.
KimSLeeKKimS. Knowledge, attitude, confidence, and educational needs of palliative care in nurses caring for non-cancer patients: a cross-sectional, descriptive study. BMC Palliat Care. 2020;19(1):105. doi:10.1186/s12904-020-00581-6
25.
YugueroOFornéCEsquerdaMPifarréJAbadíasMJViñasJ.Empathy and burnout of emergency professionals of a health region: a cross-sectional study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017; 96(37): e8030. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000008030
26.
BarnettMDReedCMAdamsCM. Death attitudes, palliative care self-efficacy, and attitudes toward care of the dying among hospice nurses[published online ahead of print, March 13, 2020]. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2020. doi:10.1007/s10880-020-09714-8
