Compassion in action: Exploring the relationship between nurse conscientious intelligence and palliative care

Conscience is a concept that is the foundation of nursing, guiding nurses to ethical practices, and helping them to provide the best professional care possible. Conscience enables nurses to be understanding and careful in patient care.

The study had three aims: (1) to determine the level of conscientious intelligence and palliative care practice of intensive care nurses; (2) to determine the effect of sociodemographic and occupational variables on conscientious intelligence and palliative care practices; and (3) to examine the relationship between conscientious intelligence and palliative care practice.

This study was designed as a descriptive-correlative study. The sample consisted of 157 nurses from a university hospital. The data were collected using questionnaire form, Conscientious Intelligence Scale and the Palliative Care Self-Reported Practices Scale between February and March 2021.

By the general multivariate linear model, while age, educational level, professional experience, total term of employment in the clinic, and training in palliative care were important predictors of palliative care practices, age and gender were significant predictors of conscientious intelligence. It was concluded that the level of palliative care practice of intensive care nurses with a high level of conscientiousness was also higher.

The conscientious intelligence levels of intensive care nurses positively affected palliative care practices. It can be said that it is important for nurses to combine their conscience with their professional knowledge and skills while providing care services.

In the realm of nursing, it is imperative for professionals to not only possess knowledge and competence, but also to act with conscience when caring for patients. This study demonstrated that nurses with heightened conscientious awareness are more adept at providing palliative care. Consequently, it is vital to support practices and training that foster conscientiousness among nurses, who must exercise patience and diligence in their careers.