Nurses’ knowledge, Practice, and Associated Factors Towards Adult Palliative Care

Abstract

The demand for palliative care is increasing rapidly, but inadequate knowledge and practice remain a significant issue. This study aimed to assess nurses' knowledge, practice, and associated factors toward adult palliative care. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 277 randomly selected nurses from May through September 2021. The data related to knowledge were gathered using the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing, and an observational checklist to assess the practice was used. EpiData and SPSS software were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Descriptive statistics and bivariable and multivariable analyses were also applied. Depending on the value of the adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence level, statistical significance was declared at a P value of .05. Findings showed that 43.2% and 47% of nurses had good knowledge and practice in palliative care, respectively. The odds of trained nurses having good knowledge were 9.65 times higher than those who did not. There were 2.7 times more odds of practicing palliative care among nurses with good knowledge than those with poor knowledge. Overall, over half of the nurses have poor knowledge and practice in palliative care. To enhance their knowledge and practice, formal palliative care education and training will be beneficial.