Assessment of nurses’ knowledge and attitude about palliative care among nurses at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali.

Abstract

Introduction: Palliative care (P.C) is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification, perfect assessment, treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems. In previous years palliative care was known as the care of the patient who is close to death but now, the capacity of palliative care has expanded to include patients who may live for many years with chronic disease. The aim of the Study: The study aimed to assess knowledge and attitude of the nurses working at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali about palliative care. Methods: Descriptive, cross sectional quantitative study design and the convenience sampling procedure were used for conducting the study. A sample of 139 nurses working in the pediatric and surgical ward was chosen for this study. Data were collected by using questionnaire with demographic data and palliative care Quiz for Nurses (PCQN) which was developed by the researchers. Pilot study was conducted among 16 nurses. Results: Study results have shown that only 9.3% of the respondents had good knowledge towards PC, 8.63% had in service-education on palliative care and no one had a good attitude towards PC. Conclusion: The nurses had fair knowledge, but their attitude towards PC was poor. Recommendations are that integration of the national health policy related to PC in the national curriculum of nurse education and provide training related to PC for the nurses.