Table 2.
Summary of studies included in the scoping review
| Author(s) | Year of publication | Country | Research goal | Sample size | Research method | Key findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Sala et al. [20] | 2023 | Italy | Education nursing students’ in palliative care and pain therapy | 109 nursing students of a college in Parma city | Descriptive | According to the questionnaire, the six areas of fear management, helping the patient’s family, improving communication, strengthening the caring role of the family, improving the relationship with the patient, and helping to meet the patient’s personal needs were considered educational topics in this study. |
| Jeong et al. [11] | 2023 | South Korea | Implementation and evaluation of an end-of-life care education program for oncology nurses | 70 nurses of the oncology department | Quasi experimental | The educational content of this program included good death, sharing experiences regarding end-of-life care, principles of end-of-life care, and communication skills. |
| Ghaemizade Shushtari et al. [8] | 2022 | Iran | Effect of end-of-life nursing education on the knowledge and performance of nurses in the intensive care unit | 80 nurses working in the intensive care units of two hospitals | Quasi experimental | The educational content was based on the nine main topics of end-of-life care. It included principles of end-of-life nursing care, pain management, symptom management, ethical issues, cultural and spiritual considerations, communication, grief and bereavement, access to care with Quality of life, and dying care. |
| Wong et al. [12] | 2022 | Hong Kong, China | Effectiveness of educational programs on palliative and end-of-life care in promoting perceived competence among health and social care professionals | 779 (physicians, nurses and social workers) | Descriptive | The educational content of these programs includes: (1) Values and knowledge (2) Communication skills (3) Management of symptoms (4) Psychosocial care (5) Deciding on end-of-life care (6) Grief (7) self-care. |
| Kennedy et al. [21] | 2022 | Ireland | Reimagining a children’s palliative care educational programme for registered nurses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic | 169 nurses | Descriptive- correlational | The educational content included: (1) An introduction to palliative care for children (2) Caring for a child with life-threatening conditions (3) Management of pain and physical symptoms (4) Social support (5) Psychological support (6) Joint decision-making regarding end-of-life issues |
| Wang et al. [22] | 2022 | Macau, China | Nursing undergraduates’ experiences of a simulation-centred educational program in hospice care | 17 undergraduate nursing students | Descriptive, Qualitative | Examining the content of the students’ interviews showed two themes and six sub-themes: 1) developing students’ competencies in caring for dying patients and their families (sensitivity to patients’ needs, improving knowledge of caring for dying patients, skills in controlling symptoms and providing comfort, Communication skills). 2. Improving the ability to self-care and support colleagues (reflection on life and death, encouraging sharing of feelings and support among colleagues). |
| Ozturk Birge et al. [23] | 2021 | Turkey | Effect of Education Given to Nursing Students on Their Palliative Care Knowledge and Attitudes | 105 s year nursing students | One group pre and post-test | The educational content designed in this study included the following items: (1) Defining palliative care, stating its goals, and stating the history; (2) Principles of palliative care (3) Duties of the palliative care team and nurse (4) Patient acceptance criteria for palliative care (5) Ethical principles and obstacles to providing palliative care (6) Management of physical symptoms in palliative care (7) Improving communication with the patient and family (8) Preparation for mourning |
| Mota-Romero et al. [6] | 2021 | Spain | Nursing homes end of life care program | 54 nurses | Descriptive | The content of the program of this study was: (1) General aspects of palliative care (2) Principles of symptom control and convenient care (3) Management of nutrition, excretion, activity and cognitive symptoms (4) Psychosocial care (5) After-death care (6) Communication and decision-making (7) Mourning |
| Hao et al. [4] | 2021 | China | Effectiveness of end-of-life educational intervention on nurses’ attitudes and knowledge | 97 nurses | Quasi experimental | The three main parts of this educational intervention were: (1) Death and life (life, death, death with dignity) (2) Nursing palliative care (3) mourning |
| Heath et al. [24] | 2021 | New Zealand | Preparing nurses for palliative and end of life care | Managers of 13 nursing education institutes | Descriptive - cross-sectional | The educational content included the definition and philosophy of palliative care, attitude to death and dying, assessment and management of pain, shortness of breath, vomiting, constipation, confusion and restlessness, nutrition, bereavement, the impact of illness on the family, spirituality, moral issues, and private. |
| Eltaybani et al. [3] | 2020 | Egypt | Palliative and end-of-life care education in nursing curricula | 95 nursing instructors | Cross-sectional | The educational content of palliative and end-of-life care considered by the researchers in this study includes the end-of-life process, physical aspects, psychiatric aspects, social dimension, spiritual, religious, and existential dimensions, cultural dimension, patient care at the end of life, and ethical and legal aspects. |
| Dobrowolska et al. [25] | 2019 | Poland | Predicted difficulties, educational needs, and interest in working in end of life care among nursing and medical students | 112 nursing students and 101 medical students | Cross-sectional | Subjects suggested by both groups to be included in the educational program: (1) How to communicate with the dying patient and his family; (2) Psychological support for the patient and family (3) Physical care of the patient (4) Spiritual and social care of the patient (5) Using new methods for education instead of relying on traditional approaches |
| Tamaki et al. [26] | 2019 | Japan | Effectiveness of end-of-life care simulation in undergraduate nursing education | 38 third-year undergraduate nursing students | Randomized controlled trial | The education content included the following topics: (1) Pain management (2) Effective therapeutic communication techniques (3) Psycho-emotional support for the patient |
| Goode et al. [27] | 2019 | Great Britain | Person-centered end-of-life curriculum design in adult pre-registration undergraduate nurse education | 336 undergraduate nursing students | Longitudinal | The main topics of the program were: (1) Preparation for death and dying; (2) Promotion of self-care and self-awareness (3) Preparation for difficult conversations at the end of life (4) Coping skills (5) Supporting the family (6) Considering values |
| Griffith et al. [13] | 2018 | Great Britain | Prepared for end-of-life care: a | - | Concept analysis | Some indicators of readiness for end-of-life care were mentioned: 1. The ability to communicate at the desired level, having knowledge about ethical, cultural, and spiritual issues at the end of life, managing emotions, and having empathy skills. |
| Price et al. [28] | 2017 | United States of America | Assess nurses’ perceived competency regarding providing palliative and end-of-life care to hospitalized patients. | 583 nurses working in intensive care departments for children and adults | Descriptive | According to the questionnaire, the educational needs of nurses included communication, decision-making, symptom management, patient and family support, and staff support. Also, nurses had concerns about improving communication behaviors, decision-making, and facilitating continuous care. |
| Malik et al. [14] | 2017 | United States of America | Education End-of-Life Care for Certified Nursing Assistants in Long-Term Care | 20 nurses | One group pre and post-test | The topics of educational content included: an overview of palliative nursing care, pain management, care at the time of death, assistance in personal development and self-care, and communication with the patient and family. |
| Lippe et al. [29] | 2017 | United States of America | Evaluating End-of-Life Care Education Within Nursing Programs | 33 nursing faculty members | Descriptive - cross-sectional | The educational content is the same as the curriculum headings of the end-of-life nursing education consortium (ELNEC)) including an introduction to palliative nursing care, pain management, symptom management, ethical issues in palliative nursing care, cultural considerations in end-of-life care, communication, loss, grief, and bereavement, and final hours. |
| O’Shea et al. [30] | 2017 | United States of America | Assessing palliative and end-of-life educational needs of pediatric health care professionals | 139 (46 physicians and 93 nurses) | Descriptive | According to the participants of this study, it was more important to include these items in the educational content: (1) Providing patient-centered and family-centered education (2) Considering ethical and cultural issues (3) Training focuses on providing effective care |
| Jors et al. [31] | 2016 | Germany | Suggestions from experienced physicians and nurses to improve end-of-life care education | 1131 physicians and nurses | Content analysis | The most important suggestions for the content of the program were: teaching the basic principles of palliative care, communication skills, interaction with patient caregivers, pain management, ethical, socio-cultural, spiritual, religious, and psychological issues. |
| Carman et al. [32] | 2016 | United States of America | Implementation of a learning bundle to promote end-of-life education for nursing students | 71 master’s students | Quasi experimental | The most important components of the training package included the following items: (1) Helping the patient, relatives and colleagues to cope with suffering and grief (2) Attention to the emotional and spiritual needs of the people involved (3) Management of physical symptoms (pain, dyspnea, etc.) |
| Youssef et al. [33] | 2015 | Saudi Arabia | Prioritizing palliative care and assessing the adequacy of palliative care content in the nursing curriculum | 100 nurses | Cross-sectional | From the perspective of nurses, in teaching palliative care and end-of-life, these things should be prioritized: the purpose of palliative care, pain management, management of other symptoms, communication with the patient and family, paying attention to the role and needs of the patient’s caregivers, death and dying, ethical issues of care end of life. |
| Murakami et al. [34] | 2015 | Japan | Development of a neonatal end-of-life care education program for NICU nurses | 30 nurses | Quasi experimental | The main elements of the program included an introduction to end-of-life care, ethical decision-making, caring for dying infants, bereavement care for families, communication, and support for nurses. |