Undergraduate nursing students' attitudes and preparedness toward caring for dying persons – A longitudinal study

Henoch, Ingela; Melin‐Johansson, Christina; Bergh, Ingrid; Strang, Susann; Ek, Kristina; Hammarlund, Kina; Hagelin, Carina Lundh; Westin, Lars; Österlind, Jane; Browall, Maria

doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2017.06.007

Cited by 82 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Academic year also seems to play role, particularly in relation to knowledge gain. Not only that, but previous studies have shown that attitudes towards care of a dying patient become more open and positive at the final year of studies (Henoch et al, 2017). CPD activities and formal education (Hagelin et al, 2016) can have an additional positive influence on students' attitudes towards end-of-life care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Undergraduate nursing students' knowledge about palliative care and attitudes towards end-of-life care: A three-cohort, cross-sectional survey

Dimoula

Kotronoulas

Katsaragakis

et al. 2019

Nurse Education Today

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Background: Ensuring adequate knowledge about palliative care and positive attitudes towards death and dying are crucial educational aspects when preparing undergraduate nursing students to respond effectively to the complexities of care for people affected by a progressive, life-limiting illness. In undergraduate nursing education in Greece, the level of students' attained knowledge and developed attitudes towards palliative and end-of-life care remain unknown. Purpose: To investigate undergraduate nursing students' knowledge about palliative care and attitudes towards death and end-of-life care, and explore demographic and academic factors as potential moderators of student knowledge and attitudes. Methods: We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey. We recruited 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th year undergraduate nursing students from the country's two University Faculties. Participants completed a demographic form, the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (PCQN), and the Frommelt Attitudes Towards Care of the Dying (FATCOD) questionnaire. Results: The final sample was 529 students (response rate=87.6%). Mean total PCQN scores revealed low levels of knowledge. Knowledge about pain/symptom management and psychosocial/spiritual care was insufficient. Mean total FATCOD scores indicated positive, liberal and supportive attitudes towards end-of-life care, with 60% of respondents keen to care for a dying person and their family. We noted less positive attitudes mainly in relation to student comfort with the care of a dying person and his/her imminent death. Academic parameters (year of study) and student demographic characteristics (older age) were the most significant moderators of both knowledge and attitudes. Greater knowledge about palliative care was a relatively weak, yet significant, predictor of more liberal attitudes towards care of the dying. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that structured courses in palliative care can be a core part of undergraduate nursing education. Specific attention could be given to such areas patient-health professional communication, misconceptions and biases towards death and dying, and comfort in caring for the dying in order to prepare student nurses to psychologically deal with the sensitive and challenging process of death and dying.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Undergraduate nursing students' knowledge about palliative care and attitudes towards end-of-life care: A three-cohort, cross-sectional survey

Dimoula

Kotronoulas

Katsaragakis

et al. 2019

Nurse Education Today

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“…Common pedagogies and approaches to teaching and learning were those that required active engagement with communities that appeared to be different to what the students knew . These engagements in less familiar communities included working in rural or underserved communities, travelling abroad, service learning at mental health institutions, visiting homes for marginalised and otherwise disadvantaged persons, or caring for patients at the end of their lives …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…61,62 These engagements in less familiar communities included working in rural or underserved communities, 53,59-61,63-68 travelling abroad, 36,69 service learning at mental health institutions, 45,70 visiting homes for marginalised and otherwise disadvantaged persons, 52,71,72 or caring for patients at the end of their lives. 73 There was a clear focus on clinical activities (29%) and interactive teaching through workshops (13%). Online courses, 30,74-76 digital storytelling 21,77 and film, 78 as well as simulation, 20,25,32,48,50,51 were used.…”

Section: How Transformative Learning Occursmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformative learning as pedagogy for the health professions: a scoping review

et al. 2019

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Context Transformative learning (TL) has been described as learning that challenges established perspectives, leading to new ways of being in the world. As a learning theory it has resonated with educators globally, including those in the health professions. Described as a complex metatheory, TL has evolved over time, eliciting divergent interpretations of the construct. This scoping review provides a comprehensive synthesis of how TL is currently represented in the health professions education literature, including how it influences curricular activities, to inform its future application in the field. Methods Arksey and O'Malley's six‐step framework was adopted to review the period from 2006 to May 2018. A total of 10 bibliographic databases were searched, generating 1532 potential studies. After several rounds of review, first of abstracts and then of full texts, 99 studies were mapped by two independent reviewers onto the internally developed data extraction sheet. Descriptive information about included studies was aggregated. Discursive data were subjected to content analysis. Results A mix of conceptual and empirical research papers, which used a range of qualitative methodologies, were included. Studies from the USA, the UK and Australia were most prevalent. Insights relating to how opportunities for TL were created, how it manifests and influences behaviour, as well as how it is experienced, demonstrated much congruency. Conceptions of TL were seen to be clustered around the work of key theorists. Conclusions The training of health professionals often takes place in unfamiliar settings where students are encouraged to be active participants in providing care. This increases the opportunity for exposure to learning experiences that are potentially transformative, allowing for a pedagogy of uncertainty that acknowledges the complexity of the world we live in and questions what we believe we know about it. TL provides educators in the health professions with a theoretical lens through which they can view such student learning.

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“…It remains unknown how this pandemic will affect the students working during the emergency period, their relationship with death, and how they deal with dying patients in the future. It is unlikely that the situation will allow them to prepare adequately and reflect or establish meaningful relationships with patients who are dying, which are important aspects of nurses' personal and professional development (Henoch et al, 2017) because they help eliminate students' anxieties about death (Adesina et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal Cohort Study Investigating Inadequate Preparation and Death and Dying in Nursing Students: Implications for the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020

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Aims and Objectives: To investigate how changes in the levels of preparedness and experiences of death and dying influence nursing students' mental health. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cause significant trauma in the nursing population. The lack of preparation, in combination with a substantial loss of life, may have implications for the longer-term mental health of the nursing workforce. Nursing students have, in many cases, been an important part of the emergency response. Design: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in the academic year 2014/15 with data collected at two time points. There was a 7-month time period between data collection. Methods: Participants completed paper-based questionnaires measuring demographics, academic stressors, clinical stressors, and mental health. 358 nursing students at time point one and 347 at time point two (97% retention) completed the survey. Results: Inadequate preparation (OR: 1.783) and the inadequate preparation x death and dying interaction term (OR: 4.115) significantly increased risk of mental health problems over time. Increased death and dying alone did not increase mental health risk. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that it is not the increase in death and dying per se that causes mental health difficulties, but that it is instead the experience of high levels of death and dying in combination with inadequate preparation. The data are considered within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, with both inadequate preparation and the scale of death and dying being two significant stressors during the emergency period.

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Undergraduate nursing students' attitudes and preparedness toward caring for dying persons – A longitudinal study

Cited by 82 publications

References 35 publications

Undergraduate nursing students' knowledge about palliative care and attitudes towards end-of-life care: A three-cohort, cross-sectional survey

Undergraduate nursing students' knowledge about palliative care and attitudes towards end-of-life care: A three-cohort, cross-sectional survey

Transformative learning as pedagogy for the health professions: a scoping review

A Longitudinal Cohort Study Investigating Inadequate Preparation and Death and Dying in Nursing Students: Implications for the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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