Instruments for assessing nurses’ palliative care knowledge and skills in specialised care setting: An integrative review

Anu Soikkeli-Jalonen, Minna Stolt, Maija Hupli, Terhi Lemetti, Catriona Kennedy, Angela Kydd, Elina Haavisto

Research output: Contribution to journalReview Articlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To examine the content and reported psychometric properties of instruments for assessing nurses’ palliative care knowledge and skills in specialised healthcare units. Background: Knowledge of palliative care, and competence in the delivery of care, is essential. Assessment of competence is an important means of evaluating the knowledge and skills of practitioners in order to improve the quality of care provided for patients and their families. Design: An integrative review. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in November 2018 in five databases: CINAHL, PubMed (Medline), Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science. The quality assessment was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies. The data were analysed using content analysis. PRISMA guidelines were followed to ensure explicit reporting. Results: Overall, 5,413 studies were identified and 23 met the inclusion criteria. Nurses’ knowledge and skills, as assessed by the instruments, were as follows: (a) care for the patient, (b) care for the patient's family and (c) professional requirements. Ten instruments were identified assessing nurses’ knowledge and skills through knowledge tests and skill evaluation self-tests. The psychometric properties of the instruments were reported to varying degrees, mainly focusing on internal consistency and content validation. Conclusions: Nurses’ knowledge and skills were seen to contribute to the holistic care of the patient and his or her family, and the possession of adequate information and skills is essential when dealing with death and dying. The instruments are commonly available and potentially reliable, although reliability must be determined with caution, so validation studies in other cultures are recommended. Relevance to clinical practice: These results could be utilised to improve the quality of palliative care by evaluating the knowledge and skills of nursing staff or when considering the needs of palliative care education.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)736-757
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Clinical Nursing
Volume29
Issue number5-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2020
Externally publishedYes
Publication typeA2 Review article in a scientific journal

Funding

FUNDING INFORMATION The review was funded by Government research funding (Satakunta Hospital District).

Keywords

  • assessing
  • instrument
  • integrative review
  • knowledge
  • nursing
  • Palliative care
  • psychometrics
  • skills
  • terminal care

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing

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