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Confidence and Educational Needs of Palliative Care in Oncology Nurses Caring for Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Received: 17 May 2023     Accepted: 28 July 2023     Published: 4 August 2023
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Abstract

Background: Palliative care can improve terminally ill patients’ quality of life. Despite the rising interest in palliative care for patients with cancer, the palliative care skills, and levels of confidence of oncology nurses who care for those patients have rarely been studied in developing countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Aim: To assess the confidence and educational needs of palliative care in oncology nurses who are caring for patients with advanced cancer in a teaching hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Method: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design was carried out on 108 oncology nurses who were working in oncology, medical, and daycare units in a teaching hospital. Palliative Care Self-Efficacy Scale and socio-demographic survey were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Results: The results showed that the confidence level of palliative care is moderate (M=30.36, SD=2.53). Nurses were less confident and needed education in discussing patients' wishes after death. There were significant differences in the levels of confidence in palliative care according to marital status, country, and period of working in oncology units or with cancer patients (p<.005). Conclusion and Recommendations: The current study contributes to the empirical literature on oncology and palliative care nursing in Saudi Arabia and sheds light on the impotence of palliative care educational programs. Adequate guidance should be available to support the establishment of effective palliative care education programs to improve the level of confidence and cover the educational needs of oncology nurses.

Published in American Journal of Nursing Science (Volume 12, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11
Page(s) 69-79
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Confidence, Cross-Sectional, Educational Needs, Palliative Care, Patients with Advanced Cancer, Saudi Arabia

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Nada Hamad Almutairi, Rana Abdullah Alsubhi, Lama Hikmat Ghurab, Shahad Atyan Almalki, Dhuha Youssef Wazqar. (2023). Confidence and Educational Needs of Palliative Care in Oncology Nurses Caring for Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study. American Journal of Nursing Science, 12(4), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11

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    ACS Style

    Nada Hamad Almutairi; Rana Abdullah Alsubhi; Lama Hikmat Ghurab; Shahad Atyan Almalki; Dhuha Youssef Wazqar. Confidence and Educational Needs of Palliative Care in Oncology Nurses Caring for Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study. Am. J. Nurs. Sci. 2023, 12(4), 69-79. doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11

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    AMA Style

    Nada Hamad Almutairi, Rana Abdullah Alsubhi, Lama Hikmat Ghurab, Shahad Atyan Almalki, Dhuha Youssef Wazqar. Confidence and Educational Needs of Palliative Care in Oncology Nurses Caring for Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study. Am J Nurs Sci. 2023;12(4):69-79. doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11,
      author = {Nada Hamad Almutairi and Rana Abdullah Alsubhi and Lama Hikmat Ghurab and Shahad Atyan Almalki and Dhuha Youssef Wazqar},
      title = {Confidence and Educational Needs of Palliative Care in Oncology Nurses Caring for Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study},
      journal = {American Journal of Nursing Science},
      volume = {12},
      number = {4},
      pages = {69-79},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajns.20231204.11},
      abstract = {Background: Palliative care can improve terminally ill patients’ quality of life. Despite the rising interest in palliative care for patients with cancer, the palliative care skills, and levels of confidence of oncology nurses who care for those patients have rarely been studied in developing countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Aim: To assess the confidence and educational needs of palliative care in oncology nurses who are caring for patients with advanced cancer in a teaching hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Method: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design was carried out on 108 oncology nurses who were working in oncology, medical, and daycare units in a teaching hospital. Palliative Care Self-Efficacy Scale and socio-demographic survey were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Results: The results showed that the confidence level of palliative care is moderate (M=30.36, SD=2.53). Nurses were less confident and needed education in discussing patients' wishes after death. There were significant differences in the levels of confidence in palliative care according to marital status, country, and period of working in oncology units or with cancer patients (pConclusion and Recommendations: The current study contributes to the empirical literature on oncology and palliative care nursing in Saudi Arabia and sheds light on the impotence of palliative care educational programs. Adequate guidance should be available to support the establishment of effective palliative care education programs to improve the level of confidence and cover the educational needs of oncology nurses.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Confidence and Educational Needs of Palliative Care in Oncology Nurses Caring for Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study
    AU  - Nada Hamad Almutairi
    AU  - Rana Abdullah Alsubhi
    AU  - Lama Hikmat Ghurab
    AU  - Shahad Atyan Almalki
    AU  - Dhuha Youssef Wazqar
    Y1  - 2023/08/04
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11
    T2  - American Journal of Nursing Science
    JF  - American Journal of Nursing Science
    JO  - American Journal of Nursing Science
    SP  - 69
    EP  - 79
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5753
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20231204.11
    AB  - Background: Palliative care can improve terminally ill patients’ quality of life. Despite the rising interest in palliative care for patients with cancer, the palliative care skills, and levels of confidence of oncology nurses who care for those patients have rarely been studied in developing countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Aim: To assess the confidence and educational needs of palliative care in oncology nurses who are caring for patients with advanced cancer in a teaching hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Method: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design was carried out on 108 oncology nurses who were working in oncology, medical, and daycare units in a teaching hospital. Palliative Care Self-Efficacy Scale and socio-demographic survey were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Results: The results showed that the confidence level of palliative care is moderate (M=30.36, SD=2.53). Nurses were less confident and needed education in discussing patients' wishes after death. There were significant differences in the levels of confidence in palliative care according to marital status, country, and period of working in oncology units or with cancer patients (pConclusion and Recommendations: The current study contributes to the empirical literature on oncology and palliative care nursing in Saudi Arabia and sheds light on the impotence of palliative care educational programs. Adequate guidance should be available to support the establishment of effective palliative care education programs to improve the level of confidence and cover the educational needs of oncology nurses.
    VL  - 12
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Medical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Medical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Medical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Medical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Medical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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