The Knowledge of Palliative Care among Geriatric Home Staff in Jordan.

BACKGROUND

Palliative care in nursing homes (NHS) is a major challenge, because it gives the demands of the knowledge and skills of nursing staff to provide high-quality care.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of palliative care among nursing home staff.

METHODS

A descriptive study design was used, 124 nurses, aged over 30 years and most of them were male working in the nursing home in Jordan. Around 109 participants were responded to the questionnaire. All licensed nurses were included in the study, except of that will be excluded. The knowledge of palliative care was measured via the palliative care survey. knowledge scores were ranged 0-1, with higher scores indicate greater knowledge.

RESULTS

Descriptive statistics was used. The Knowledge of palliative care issues is 0.21 in Jordan (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19-0.24). Knowledge of physical aspects that can contribute to pain is 0.22 (95% CI 0.2-0.25), and knowledge of psychological aspects that can contribute to pain is 0.21 (95% CI 0.2-0.22).

CONCLUSION

Education for nursing staff needs to be enhanced to address the specific knowledge gaps. Additional studies with large sample size recommended to explore the effect of educational programs in regard of palliative care in nursing homes.