Nursing students' attitudes towards caring for dying patients.

This is a collaborative project between the Department of Health Sciences and Care in Gothenburg, the University of Skövde, the Mid Sweden University in Östersund, as well as Ersta Sköndal University College, the Karolinska Institute, and Sophiahemmet University, the latter three located in Stockholm. The first data collection took place during the autumn term of 2011 in term 1 in Gothenburg, Skövde, and at Ersta Sköndal University College and during the autumn term of 2012 at the Karolinska Institute, at the Mid Sweden University in Östersund, and Sophiahemmet University.

At baseline, we had a total of 380 students and at the follow-up in term 6, we had about 130 students. Baseline data and several qualitative articles have been published:

1. Strang S, Bergh I, Ek K, Hammarlund K, Prahl C, Westin L, Österlind J, Henoch I. (2014). Nursing students’ reasoning about emotionally demanding death issues. International Journal of Palliative Nursing 20(4):194-200.
2. Ek K, Westin L, Prahl C, Österlind J, Strang S, Bergh I, Henoch I, Hammarlund K. (2014). I am afraid of my own feelings and how I will react - Nursing students’ experiences of death and caring for dying patients. International Journal of Palliative Nursing 20(10), 509-515.
3. Lundh Hagelin C, Melin-Johansson C, Henoch I, Bergh I, Ek K, Hammarlund K, Prahl C, Strang S, Westin L, Österlind J, Browall M. (2016). Factors influencing attitude toward care of dying patients in first-year nursing students. International Journal of Palliative Nursing 22(1):28-36.
4. Österlind J, Prahl C, Westin L, Strang S, Bergh I, Henoch I, Hammarlund K, Ek K. (2016). Nursing students’ perceptions of caring for dying persons, after one year in nursing school. Nurse Education Today 41, 44-49.

Based on the results, an elective course in palliative care has been developed for the nursing program at the Department of Health Sciences and Care.