Improving Attitudes and Perceived Competence in Caring for Dying Patients: An End-of-Life Simulation

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess learning outcomes from a simulation on providing care to a critically ill patient from whom care is ultimately withdrawn. BACKGROUND: Nursing students have anxiety and low perceived competence for caring for dying patients. Effective strategies for teaching communication, assessment, and basic nursing skills are needed. METHOD: A pretest-posttest design compared perceived competence and attitudes in caring for dying patients with three separate cohorts of undergraduate nursing students performing the simulation. RESULTS: The cohorts had significantly improved scores on the perceived competence (p < .001) and attitude (p < .01) measures following the simulation. Reliability for a new instrument to assess perceived competence in caring for dying patients was also established. CONCLUSION: This study's simulation offers a robust teaching strategy for improving nursing students' attitudes and perceived competence in caring for dying patients.