Exploring the Knowledge and Attitudes of Clinical Nurses Toward Palliative Care: A Qualitative Enquiry in Ghana

Palliative care is an essential aspect of healthcare that focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with life-threatening illnesses by alleviating pain and other distressing symptoms. However, its integration into clinical practice remains inconsistent. Nurses play a vital role in delivering palliative care, which is significantly influenced by their knowledge and attitudes. As such, this study explored the knowledge seeks to explore the knowledge and attitudes of clinical nurses toward palliative care.

This qualitative descriptive study was conducted from May to September 2023 and enrolled 14 healthcare personnel from Ho Teaching Hospital. Participants were selected using purposive sampling until data saturation was achieved. Data were collected by conducting face-to-face in-depth interviews with the participants at a place and time of the interview convenient to participants. Only participants who consented were recruited into the study. Data collection and analysis occurred at the same time. Data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach of Graneheim and Lundman.

Four major themes and 12 subthemes were generated. The themes were 1. Nursing practice experience, 2. Knowledge of palliative care with subthemes, 3. Assessment of pain and its management with subthemes, and 4. Attitude toward palliative patients with subthemes.

The study highlights the multifaceted experiences, knowledge, pain management practices, and attitudes of nurses in palliative care. It underscores the importance of comprehensive training to enhance care delivery and support for palliative patients. The study recommends regular in-service training to support nursing staff in providing comprehensive and compassionate palliative care.