Practical effects of educating nurses on the Natural Death Act.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate a nursing staff's knowledge of the Natural Death Act before and after an educational intervention.


METHODS
This was a quasi-experimental designed study. Questionnaires were sent to 135 nurses in a medical center who volunteered to participate in the educational program. Demographic data and knowledge of the Natural Death Act were collected. The return rate was 85.37% (n=105). The educational program lasted for 6 h and included five subjects: hospice-palliative care, Natural Death Act, how to face suffering patients, nursing for agonized patients, and communicating with families. The program was a combination of lectures, case discussions, evaluation of individuals' values, and attitudes toward patient death.


RESULTS
At baseline, the average total score in the 18-item questionnaire on the Natural Death Act was 12.96, with a range of 5-18. After the educational intervention, the average total score increased from 12.9 correct answers to 17.04 (of 18). The average increase was 4.08 points, a statistically significant difference.


CONCLUSIONS
A provision of appropriate training for medical professionals appears to be a useful educational strategy, and this result shows that the Natural Death Act should be included in nursing school educational program. In the future, more effort should be made to fulfill patients' expectations and to follow medical ethics guidelines.
Tsai
Li-Yun
LY
Department of Nursing, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. liyun@ms1.mmh.org.tw
Lee
Mei-Yu
MY
Lai
Yuen-Liang
YL
Li
In-Fun
IF
Liu
Ching-Ping
CP
Change
Tse-Yun
TY
Tu
Chin-Ting
CT
D000328:Adult; D003643:Death; D017051:Hospice Care; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education*; D010166:Palliative Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires