Improvement in the Awareness of Palliative Care Nursing Using STAS-J in an Acute Care Hospital

Abstract

The Japanese version of the Support Team Assessment Schedule (STAS-J) in palliative care units is reliable and widely used in Japan. However, there are few reports showing its impact on palliative care in acute care hospitals (ACHs) treating cancer patients. To verify the usefulness of STAS-J in ACHs, we evaluated changes in the awareness of care for patients among 48 nurses in a university hospital using a questionnaire administered before the introduction of STAS-J, after virtual case assessment, and after assessment of the first five inpatients. Statistical examination was performed by the Mann-Whitney U test. Most of the surveyed items, except noticing the anxiety of the patient’s family and information exchange with medical staff other than doctors, were significantly improved after the introduction of STAS-J (p<0.05). Approximately 60% of the nurses had affirmative opinions of STAS-J. The results suggested STAS-J is useful in improving the awareness of palliative care nursing in ACHs.