Developing, Implementation and Evaluation of the End-of-Life Care Training Program for ICU Nurses

Taking care of a person at the end of life and his family has always been the main responsibility of nurses. Since nurses spend the most time with these patients, they play a significant role in this care.

The present study was conducted with the aim of developing, implementing and evaluating the end-of-life care training program for nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU).

In this mixed method research, the Kern model was used. First, the initial needs assessment was done by group of 6 experienced nursing volunteers by using the structured group interview method (NGT). Then, the researcher-made questionnaire was compiled through a systematic review. The researcher-made questionnaire was given to 127 nurses who were employed in the ICU. After developing and implementing the program based on Kern's model, the end-of-life nursing care was reexamined. Data were analyzed by SPSS (version 20). p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Most participants in this study were female, and the mean age was 31.98±5.261 years andthe mean work experience was 2.27±0.849 years. The training program increased the knowledge and awareness of ICU nurses (p<0.001).

Implications for Practice:

 The results of this study showed that the nurses of the ICU do not have enough skills and knowledge in the field of end-of-life care, especially symptom management. Training in the field of end-of-life care was effective on nurses' knowledge and awareness.