Effectiveness of Instructional Program on Nurses' Knowledge Concerning Palliative and Supportive Care for old Adults with Heart Failure.

Background: The prevalence of heart failure (HF) continues to increase with an increase in the aging population. Palliative care should be integrated into routine disease management for all patients with serious illness, regardless of settings or prognosis. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to determine the level of knowledge of nurses concerning palliative care for patients with heart failure after implementation of instructional program. Design: The study was a quasi-experimental study and consists of 60 nurses. Setting: The study was conducted between17th November 2021, to 10th February 2022, at three teaching hospitals in Baghdad city, Iraq. Method: A non-probability (purposive) sample was utilized, nurses who agreed to participate in the study, were working in medical wards in the hospitals mentioned above. They divided in to two groups (study group) and (control group). Nurses are educated on the definition, history, and philosophy of palliative care, the responsibilities of palliative care nurses, symptom management, and end of life care. The education was applied in three sessions. Data were collected before and after the education via nurse identification form developed by the research team and the palliative care knowledge test. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of nurses before and after training (p < 0.001). It was found that instructional programs have a large effect on nurses' knowledge about palliative care. Conclusion: It was found that the instructional program was an effective way to improve nurses' knowledge about palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]