An Investigation of the Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Caring for Dying Patients and Compassion.

The study aims to investigate the relationship between nurses' attitudes towards caring for dying patients and compassion levels. This cross-sectional study was conducted with the volunteer participation of 130 nurses working in various clinics in a hospital located in eastern Turkey between March and June 2019. Data were collected through the Socio-demographic Form, the Frommelt Attitude toward Care of Dying Scale (FATCOD), and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). A statistically significant difference was found between nurses' education level and compassion level (p < 0.01). A significant difference was found between the units where they were working and attitude towards caring for dying patients (p < 0.01). A positive, statistically significant relationship was found between the FATCOD total score and SCS total score (p < 0.01). A significant relationship between the compassion level and attitude toward caring for dying patients is an important finding for nurses, who encounter death frequently.