Date of Graduation

5-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Nursing

Advisor/Mentor

Weymiller, Audrey

Committee Member/Reader

Hale, Cathy

Committee Member/Second Reader

Patton, Susan

Abstract

Background: There is a demand for effective and efficient palliative and end of life nursing care that will meet the needs of the aging Baby Boomer generation. Though advancement has been made, palliative and end of life care for the seriously ill adult is still lacking. That deficiency can be traced to deficiency in nursing education. Further still, nursing faculty attitudes, knowledge and self-efficacy in palliative care may present a barrier for adequate palliative care nursing curriculum.

Objective: Explore the current knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy of nursing faculty regarding care for seriously ill adults.

Methods and Design: A quantitative, descriptive research design using an online survey was sent to current Eleanor Mann School of Nursing (EMSON) faculty and adjunct clinical instructors.

Measurement tools include the Palliative Care Knowledge Test (PCKT), Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) and Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). Results of the individual surveys were assessed for correlation against each other and respondent’s demographic information as well as against respondents who had taken additional palliative care course work.

Data Analysis: Descriptive analysis and ANOVA correlations were run on survey results.

Results: No significant correlation was assessed between Knowledge, Attitudes, and Death Anxiety. There was no significant correlation between these measures or age. There was no significant difference between respondent’s knowledge responses or anxiety responses when comparing respondents who had taken additional palliative coursework and respondents who had not. There was a significant difference in attitude scales between respondents who had taken additional palliative coursework and those who had not; those who had additional courses had more positive attitudes.

Conclusion: This preliminary study indicates the need for further studies performed on nursing faculty to fully assess the effectiveness of experiences in nursing school. While many studies are conducted utilizing student and patient data, successes and deficits in practice efficacy begin with nursing school and faculty. Teachers must advocate for implementation and focus of competencies as outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to improve nursing curriculum in palliative and end-of-life care.

Keywords

palliative care; end-of-life care; nursing; research; faculty; faculty attitudes; faculty knowledge

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