The effects of a course on death and grief on nurses' attitudes toward dying patients and death

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of a course on death and grief on the attitudes toward death and toward dying patients of nurses who work in high-risk death areas of hospitals. This quasi-experimental design used four groups of subjects. One group experienced the treatment. Another group served as a waiting-list control group and then experienced the treatment. Two groups were control groups. The treatment consisted of attendance at a 6-week continuing education course entitled “Coping with Death and Dying in High-risk Areas of Hospitals.” The Death Anxiety Semantic Differential, Parts I and II, was used as the dependent variable. The results indicate that the small-group counseling and education experience did have an impact on attitudes toward death and dying patients of nurses who attended. The discussion of the findings and recommendations for further study are presented.