StructuralEquation Model of End-of-Life Nursing Performance of Home Visiting Nurses

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to build a structural model for explaining and predicting end-of-life care performance of home-visiting nurses.Methods: This study was conducted using data from 360 home-visiting nurses that fit the structural equation model collected from May 3 to September 2, 2019. These data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and structural equation modeling to determine factors that could influence end-of-life care performance.Results: Our proposed structural model demonstrated a fine fitness level. Our proposed structural model was also able to describe end-of-life care performance with an accuracy of 35.5%. Visiting nursing types, experience of end-of-life care education, attitudes toward nursing care of the dying, and end-of-life care stress were confirmed as key factors that could influence end-of-life care performance. Meanwhile, death-related anxiety was not a factor influencing end-of-life care performance.Conclusion: Findingsof this study suggest that the aforementioned key factors can improve the performance of home-visiting nurses in providing end-of-life care. Therefore, expanding home nursing services, developing end-of-life nursing education at home, and implementing programs to reduce stress and improve positive attitudes toward end-of-life care are necessary for home-visiting nurses who provide end-of-life care.