Nurses' preferred end-of-life treatment choices in five countries

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Policy
• Cross-cultural Studies

Background:

• Limited research exists on nurses' end-of-life (EOL) treatment preferences across diverse care settings.
• Previous studies primarily focused on physicians' and patients'/families' EOL decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare nurses' end-of-life (EOL) treatment preferences internationally.
• Examined preferences in Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, and the USA.

Main Methods:

• Comparative descriptive study design.
• Survey questionnaire with hypothetical end-of-life (EOL) clinical scenarios.
• Convenience sample of 1089 nurses.

Main Results:

• Nurses consistently opted for more aggressive treatments for patients compared to themselves or parents.
• Significant variations in EOL treatment preferences were observed across the five participating countries.
• Key influencing factors identified: lack of knowledge of patient wishes and perceived duty of care.

Conclusions:

• This is the first study comparing nurses' EOL treatment preferences across five countries on three continents.
• Findings raise critical questions for healthcare researchers and policy development.
• Highlights the need for enhanced international collaboration in EOL care research.