Nursing experience and the care of dying patients

Purpose/Objectives: To examine relationships among demographic variables and nurses' attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients. Design: Descriptive and correlational. Setting: Two metropolitan hospitals in Detroit, MI. Sample: 58 RNs practicing in oncology and medical/surgical nursing. The majority was female and white, with a mean age of 41 years. Methods: Completed survey of three measurement tools: a demographic survey, Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) Scale, and Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) Scale. Of 60 surveys distributed, 58 were completed and returned. Main Research Variables: Past experiences (level of education and death training), personal experiences (age, race, religion, and attitudes toward death), professional experiences (months or years of nursing experience and the percentage of time spent in contact with terminally ill or dying patients), and attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Findings: Most respondents demonstrated a positive attitude about caring for dying patients. Nurses who reported spending a higher percentage of time in contact with terminally ill or dying patients reported more positive attitudes. No significant relationship was found between nurses' attitudes toward death and nurses' attitudes about caring for dying patients. Statistically significant relationships were found among certain demographic variables, DAP-R subscales, and FATCOD Scale. Conclusions: Regardless of how the nurses felt about death, providing professional and quality care to dying patients and their families was salient. Implications for Nursing: Developing continuing education programs that teach effective coping strategies to prevent death anxiety and identifying barriers that can make caring for dying patients difficult may make the journey from novice to expert nurse a gratifying and rewarding experience.