Death-coping self-efficacy and its influencing factors among Chinese nurses: A cross-sectional study

Background: Nurses are the main caregivers of dying patients. Facing or dealing with death-related events is inevitable. Death-coping self-efficacy (DCS) is very important, as it can reduce the risk of nursing staff to adverse emotional distress, help them participate in end-of-life care and improve the quality of care of patients. Methods: Using the convenient sampling method, this study included a total of 572 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Hangzhou, China. The status and influencing factors of the DCS of nurses were explored using a general information questionnaire and DCS scale. Results: The scores of each parameter, ranging from low to high, were in the order of coping with grief, preparation for death and hospice care. Factors influencing nurses’ DCS included attendance in hospice care education courses within the previous year, experience of accompanying the family members of the deceased and attitude towards death. Conclusions: The overall self-efficacy of nurses in palliative care was at a medium level. Moreover, their self-efficacy in coping with grief and preparation for death should be strengthened. Managers of medical institutions can assess the death-coping ability of nurses, which helps provide corresponding support and training for nurses at an early stage. Nurses should receive guidance in grief adjustment and emotion regulation. Medical units should provide nurses with a platform for continuous training and education, use of death-related theoretical models and frameworks to guide nurses in dealing with death-related events, reduce nurses’ negative mood and jointly promote their mental health.