Effect of end-of-life nursing education on the knowledge and performance of nurses in the intensive care unit: a quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND: End-of-life care education is required for nurses to acquire the clinical competence necessary for the improvement of the quality of end-of-life nursing care. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of nursing care education based on End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) on the knowledge and performance of nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design. From among nurses working in the ICU of Golestan and Imam Khomeini hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran, 80 nurses were selected based on the inclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups (40 people in each group) using a table of random numbers. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics form, the ELNEC Knowledge Assessment Test (ELNEC-KAT), and the Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice Questionnaire (German Revised Version; PCEP-GR). RESULTS: A significant difference was observed between the intervention and control groups in terms of the average knowledge score in all 9 modules including nursing care, pain management and control, disease symptom management, ethical/legal issues, culture, communication with the patient and his/her family, loss and grief, death, and quality of life (QOL) (P < 0.001). Moreover, the average performance score of nurses in the fields of preparation for providing palliative care, self-assessment of ability to communicate with dying patients and their relatives, self-assessment of knowledge and skills in palliative care increased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: End-of-life nursing education is recommended as an effective method for promoting knowledge, attitude, performance, and clinical competence among all nurses involved in end-of-life care.