Caring for dying patients: attitude of nursing students and effects of education

Education about caring for dying patients could be effective in changing nursing students' attitude toward caring for dying patients.

The aim of the present study was to examine the nursing students' attitude toward caring for dying patients and effects of education on their attitude.

The present study enjoys a quasi-experimental method with using one-group pre-test/post-test design conducted in Bam in southeast of Iran. The attitude of nursing students was measured using Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scale before and after an educational intervention. Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 18 software.

Of 32 students, 30 participated in this study (response rate of 94%). Only 20% of the students reported previous experience of dying patients in their clinical courses. Students showed moderately negative to neutral attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Education has improved students' attitude significantly (mean score of FATCOD before study were 3.5 ± 0.43 and after intervention were 4.7 ± 0.33) (P < 0.001).

Educational programs about death and caring for dying patients should be added to undergraduate nursing curricula. Further research recommended examining nursing students' knowledge about caring for dying patients and the effect of education on their knowledge.