A Countrywide Assessment of Omani Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Palliative Care Knowledge and Attitudes Towards End-of-Life Care

Palliative care (PC) is a vital part of the responses needed to address the outcomes of cancer and other non-communicable diseases such as chronic pain, terminal illnesses, and end-of-life situations. Until today, there is a significant lack of access to PC in most developing countries, where the ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cancer education 2023-06, Vol.38 (3), p.781-788
Main Authors: Muliira, Joshua K., Lazarus, Eilean R., Mirafuentes, Ephraim C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cancer Research
Clinical Competence
Communicable Diseases
Cross-Sectional Studies
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Knowledge
Nursing education
Nursing Students
Palliative Care
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Students, Nursing
Surveys and Questionnaires
Terminal Care
Undergraduate Study
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Summary:Palliative care (PC) is a vital part of the responses needed to address the outcomes of cancer and other non-communicable diseases such as chronic pain, terminal illnesses, and end-of-life situations. Until today, there is a significant lack of access to PC in most developing countries, where the majority of the global population lives. Deficiencies in nurses’ knowledge and attitudes exacerbate the lack of access to PC and end-of-life care (EOLC) in these countries. This study was conducted in Oman to assess undergraduate nursing students’ (NS) PC knowledge and attitudes towards EOLC. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 276 NS in all undergraduate programs in Oman. The PC knowledge and attitude towards EOLC were measured using the PEACE-Q and FATCOD-B. The NS had a borderline level of PC knowledge but favorable attitudes towards EOLC. The NS were least knowledgeable about the philosophy of PC, delirium, side effects of opioids, cancer pain, and dyspnea. There were differences in PC knowledge and attitudes across programs. The findings highlight potential deficiencies and opportunities that can be utilized to augment future nursing human resources for PC and EOLC in Oman. We recommend a national interdisciplinary PC education and training consortium (NIPCET-C) to dialogue, develop, promote, monitor, and evaluate PC and EOLC education in Oman.
ISSN:0885-8195
1543-0154
DOI:10.1007/s13187-022-02184-6