Confidence and Educational Needs of Palliative Care in Oncology Nurses Caring for Patients with Advanced Cancer in a Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Palliative care can improve terminally ill patients’ quality of life. Despite the rising interest in palliative care for patients with cancer, the palliative care skills, and levels of confidence of oncology nurses who care for those patients have rarely been studied in developing countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Aim: To assess the confidence and educational needs of palliative care in oncology nurses who are caring for patients with advanced cancer in a teaching hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Method: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design was carried out on 108 oncology nurses who were working in oncology, medical, and daycare units in a teaching hospital. Palliative Care Self-Efficacy Scale and socio-demographic survey were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Results: The results showed that the confidence level of palliative care is moderate ( M =30.36, SD =2.53). Nurses were less confident and needed education in discussing patients' wishes after death. There were significant differences in the levels of confidence in palliative care according to marital status, country, and period of working in oncology units or with cancer patients ( p Conclusion and Recommendations: The current study contributes to the empirical literature on oncology and palliative care nursing in Saudi Arabia and sheds light on the impotence of palliative care educational programs. Adequate guidance should be available to support the establishment of effective palliative care education programs to improve the level of confidence and cover the educational needs of oncology nurses.