Effects of death education on nurses' death anxiety, depression regarding death, and attitudes towards the dying patient

Abstract

Objective: The research was carried out as a pre-test, post-test patterned intervention research in one group in order to assess the effects of death education on death anxiety of nurses who are nursing patients in terminal phase, their death depression regarding death, and their attitudes towards the dying patient. Methods: The research was conducted with 45 nurses working in clinics wherein terminal phase patients were nursed and the intensive care units in Hacettepe University Oncology and Ihsan Dogramaci Children's Hospitals and who accepted to participate in the research. Each session of the training program which consisted of 7 total sessions once a week was given in the meeting halls of the Oncology and Children's Hospital within the framework of the session and in harmony with the determined aims for duration of 90 minutes. Data were collected with a data collection form by implementing Scales of Death Anxiety, Death Depression Scale, and the Attitude Scale about Euthanasia, Death, and Dying Patient. T-test, Wilcoxon, Mann Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in data assessment. Results: At the end of the education, average of the scores which the nurses got on the scales of death anxiety, and death depression scale decreased at a statistically significant level (p<0.05). A statistically significant change was not determined in the attitude scale about of euthanasia, death, and dying patient between the pre-test and post-test average scores (p>0.05). Effect of the death education program didn't vary according to the age of the nurses, years they worked, manner of being affected from terminal phase patient nursing and meaning they attributed to death. Discussion: The results of study revealed that it is recommended to spread out death education in order for health professionals who are giving terminal phase patient care to provide qualified palliative care. (Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry 2009; 10: 253-260)