Clinical Nurses’ Knowledge of the Decision-making Process for End-of-life Care

Abstract

This article reports on a study that was conducted to assess clinical nurses’ knowledge of the decision-making process for end-of-life care in South Korea. A decision inventory consisting of 21 items was utilized, and 250 potential respondents were recruited, irrespective of their work unit, from six hospitals located in three areas of South Korea. A total of 238 clinical nurses completed the inventory from December 04, 2019 to December 28, 2019. Overall, the average score by item was 0.64±0.19 out of one point. Some of the items related to AD and POLST showed very low scores. Working experience and awareness of advance directives and physicians’ orders on life-sustaining treatment were found to affect the knowledge level of the decision-making process for end-of-life care. In general, the level of awareness concerning advance directives and physicians’ orders on life-sustaining treatment was unacceptably low considering that the respondents were clinical nurses. The results of this study highlight the need for further education for nurses in South Korea on the decision-making process for end-of-life care.