Knowledge and attitudes of undergraduate nursing students towards palliative care

BACKGROUND: While palliative care education has been integrated into the nursing curriculum in Ghana, there remains a scarcity of research that assesses the knowledge and attitudes of undergraduate nursing students toward palliative care and care of the dying. AIM: This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of undergraduate nursing students regarding palliative care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used, including a questionnaire-based survey. A total of 272 undergraduate nursing students were selected through convenience sampling. RESULTS: Most respondents demonstrated poor PC knowledge. Most students exhibited positive attitudes towards palliative care. Factors significantly associated with PC knowledge included being an older student (p=.028) and female gender (p=.038). Positive attitudes towards PC were significantly influenced by experiencing the death of a patient during clinical placement (p=.036), female gender (p=.001), and academic level (fourth year; p=.032). CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that the nursing students who participated had a positive attitude towards palliative care but poor knowledge.