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Practical effects of educating nurses on the Natural Death Act
Li-Yun Tsai1, Mei-Yu Lee, Yuen-Liang Lai
1Department of Nursing, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. liyun@ms1.mmh.org.tw
Summary
An educational intervention significantly improved nursing staff knowledge of the Natural Death Act. This highlights the importance of including end-of-life care education in nursing curricula to meet patient expectations and ethical standards.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Medical Ethics
- Palliative Care
Background:
- Assessing nursing staff's understanding of the Natural Death Act is crucial for patient-centered care.
- Knowledge gaps can impact the implementation of end-of-life care directives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on nursing staff's knowledge of the Natural Death Act.
- To determine if targeted training improves understanding and application of end-of-life legislation.
Main Methods:
- A quasi-experimental study involving 105 nurses who completed a 6-hour educational program.
- Knowledge of the Natural Death Act was assessed using an 18-item questionnaire before and after the intervention.
- The program incorporated lectures, case discussions, and value-based activities.
Main Results:
- Baseline average score on the Natural Death Act questionnaire was 12.96 out of 18.
- Post-intervention, the average score significantly increased to 17.04, an improvement of 4.08 points.
- The educational strategy demonstrated a statistically significant positive impact on knowledge.
Conclusions:
- Educational interventions are effective in enhancing nurses' knowledge of the Natural Death Act.
- The Natural Death Act should be integrated into nursing school curricula.
- Further efforts are needed to align practice with patient expectations and medical ethics.