The Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Caring for Dying Patients and Self Compassion in ICU Nurses

Abstract

The study aims to investigate the relationship between ICU nurses' attitudes towards caring for dying patients and self compassion.This cross-sectional study (Aug-Oct 2022) was conducted with the volunteer participation of 219 ICU nurses in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Data were collected through the Socio-demographic Form, the Frommelt Attitude toward Care of Dying Scale (FATCOD), and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS).The mean score of attitude of end-of-life care and self-compassion were 92.77 ± 21.5 and 47.83 ± 7.69 respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between nurses' education level and attitudes of end-of-life care (p < 0.001) and self-compassion. (p < 0.04) A significant difference was found between end of life care training experience and self-compassion (p < 0.03). A positive, statistically significant relationship was found between the attitudes of end-of-life care total score and self-compassion total score (p < 0.001). A significant relationship between the self-compassion and attitude toward caring for dying patients is an important finding for quality of care in ICU nurses.

Keywords: attitude toward death; compassion; intensive care unit; nursing.