Abstract
BackgroundWhile the importance of hospice care education in nursing homes is recognized, the volume of research on the specific educational needs of caregivers in hospice care in nursing homes is still lacking. This study aimed to assess educational needs in hospice care among the nursing home staff in South Korea, and to examine factors related to their education needs.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 324 nursing staff members recruited from 15 nursing homes in South Korea participated in this cross-sectional study. Measurements included demographic information, organizational characteristics, education experiences in hospice care, and educational needs in hospice care based on questionnaires developed by Whittaker and colleagues. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression techniques.ResultsIn the present study, 70.6% (n = 218) of respondents reported that they had previous experience with education in hospice care and expressed their continued need for further education. The provision of care in the last days of a patient’s life was the most frequent issue identified by nursing home staff for further education. Factors predicting educational needs in hospice care included provision of hospice care services in nursing homes and the existence of hospice care team meetings in the institution. Multiple regression analysis resulted in 14.3% of explained variance in the educational needs of nursing home staff in hospice care.ConclusionsNursing home staff members showed high levels of need for training in hospice care. Therefore, it is imperative for nursing home administrators to initiate and support well-suited hospice care education for multi-level care workers on an ongoing basis.
Highlights
While the importance of hospice care education in nursing homes is recognized, the volume of research on the specific educational needs of caregivers in hospice care in nursing homes is still lacking
The utilization of hospice care (HC) services in nursing homes is increasing [8], and the importance of quality HC in nursing homes is widely recognized by both families and nursing staff members [9, 10]
Nurse aids were not included as study participants because there were less than 10 nurse aides employed in the data collection sites and care helpers were the primary nursing workforce group who provided direct basic care to nursing home residents
Summary
While the importance of hospice care education in nursing homes is recognized, the volume of research on the specific educational needs of caregivers in hospice care in nursing homes is still lacking. Most elderly people hope for dignified death in the privacy of their own home with minimal dependence on others [1]. As the number of elderly people who reside in nursing homes increases, the need for quality end-of-life care increases. The utilization of hospice care (HC) services in nursing homes is increasing [8], and the importance of quality HC in nursing homes is widely recognized by both families and nursing staff members [9, 10]. End-of-life care for nursing home residents is often a significant challenge for staff members [12], and their levels of knowledge and/or compliance with hospice and palliative guidelines are known to be low [10, 13, 14]
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