Abstract

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the level of knowledge nursing students have about the palliative care and the effects of the training provided in this context.

Method: In the study, a quasi-experimental research design with pre-test/post-test was used. The sample includes 52 students enrolled in palliative care courses at Kırıkkale University Department of Nursing in the fall of an academic year. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire prepared by the researcher and Palliative Care Knowledge Test. In the evaluation of the data, percentile calculation, mean and Wilcoxon test were utilized.

Results: The average age of the students participating in the study was x̅ ± ss = 21.73. In our study, the knowledge point average of the students about the palliative care knowledge test was found to be "10,1 ± 1,6" over 20 points before course and "15,2 ± 1,6" after course. The difference between the mean scores was statistically significant (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Palliative care courses can make a significant contribution to student' knowledge and insight, as well as their self-efficacy in providing palliative care. It is thought that our work will contribute to the re-evaluation of the curriculum.

Keywords: Palliative care, nursing students, level of knowledge