Nurse Comfort With Palliative and End-of-Life Communication: A Rural and Urban Comparison

J Hosp Palliat Nurs. 2019 Feb;21(1):38-45. doi: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000483.

Abstract

Communication is a key component of palliative and end-of-life care. Little is known about comfort with palliative and end-of-life communication among nurses working in rural and urban settings. We assessed this comparison using the 28-item (including 2 ranked items) Comfort with Communication in Palliative and End-of-Life Care instrument. Descriptive analyses of the sample (N = 252) identified statistically significant results differences for age and experience; rural nurses were older and more experienced. Urban nurses reported less comfort than did rural nurses based on composite score analysis (P = .03) and reported less comfort than did rural nurses in talking with patients and families about "end-of-life decisions" (P < .05). Overall, years of experience were significant for more comfort with end-of-life communication. Our instrument could be used within academic settings to establish baseline awareness of comfort with palliative and end-of-life communication and in institutional settings to provide a continuing education bridge from prelicensure through licensure. Moreover, experienced nurses are integral in mentoring new graduates in initiating and sustaining difficult conversations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attitude of Health Personnel
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nurse-Patient Relations*
  • Palliative Care / psychology
  • Palliative Care / standards*
  • Pilot Projects
  • Psychometrics / instrumentation
  • Psychometrics / methods
  • Rural Population / trends
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Urban Population / trends