Factors Related to Nurses’ Perception of End-of-Life Care in Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Objective: To determine ICU nurses’ perceptions of end-of-life care and the factors associated with these perceptions. Methods: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 650 nurses with at least three years of ICU experience at an emergency and critical care center regarding their basic attributes and their perceptions of end-of-life care. Logistic regression analysis was performed with the constructs of perception of end-of-life care as the dependent variables. Results: A total of 277 valid responses were obtained. The following three constructs of perception of end-of-life care were extracted: difficulty in family care, negative perception of end-of-life care, and positive perception of end-of-life care. “Difficulty in family care” was significantly associated with “10 or more years of ICU experience” and “PNS”; “negative perception of end-of-life care” was significantly associated with “age 30–39,” “age 40 years or older,” and “manuals and guidelines for end-of-life care”; and “positive perception of end-of-life care” was significantly associated with “interest in end-of-life care.” Conclusion: In order to raise awareness of end-of-life care, it is necessary to address factors such as nurses’ personal experiences of and interest in end-of-life care, and use of manuals and guidelines for end-of-life care.