Pediatric Nurses' Perceptions related to End-of-Life Care and Turnover Intention

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate pediatric nurses' perceptions regarding in end-of-life care and turnover intention. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed among 111 hospital nurses. Pediatric nurses' perceptions of obstacles and supportive behaviors were measured using the Pediatric Nurses' Perceptions of End of Life Care Questionnaire which was translated into Korean and turnover intention was measured using the Korean Nurse Turnover Intention Scale (K-NTIS). RESULTS: The supportive behavior with the highest perceived magnitude was ‘Physicians who are compassionate, but very clear about prognosis.’ The obstacle with the highest perceived magnitude was ‘Instigating painful treatments when there is no hope of recovery.’ Pediatric nurses' perceptions of obstacles in end-of-life care showed statistically significant differences depending on whether nurses received end-of-life care education (t=2.02, p=.046). The perception of obstacles in end-of-life care was positively correlated with turnover intention (intensity r=.28, p=.002) (frequency r=.20, p=.027). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that pediatric nurses' perception of obstacles and supportive behaviors in end-of-life care need to be assessed when considering turnover intention. Furthermore, psychological counseling should be offered to nurses to prevent burnout and reduce moral distress which is correlated with the turnover rate.