THE LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS OF NURSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE PALLIATIVE CARE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

The growing shortage of palliative care staff is becoming increasingly noticeable. Although nurses constitute the largest group of health care professionals, little is known about their role in palliative care at all levels of care. It is necessary to note the important role of nurses in ensuring universal access to palliative care, especially at the primary care stage. Lack of professional training and low awareness of palliative care among healthcare professionals represents a major barrier to improving palliative care. Because nurses in all health care settings are actively involved in the provision of health care services to patients suffering from serious illness, they must have sufficient knowledge and experience in palliative care. It is especially important that professionals actively involved in palliative care have a thorough understanding of the philosophy of palliative care. Thus, the purpose of our study is to determine the level of knowledge in the field of palliative care among nurses working in primary health care organizations.