Renea L. Beckstrand

Critical care nurses working in urban settings have reported obstacles in caring for dying patients. However, the perceptions of such obstacles by nurses working in critical access hospitals (CAHs), which are located in rural areas, are unknown. To study stories and experiences related to obstacles in providing end-of-life care reported by CAH nurses. This exploratory, cross-sectional study presents the qualitative stories and experiences of nurses working in CAHs as reported on a questionnaire. Quantitative data have been previously reported. Sixty-four CAH nurses provided 95 categorizable responses. Two major categories emerged: (1) family, physician, and ancillary staff issues and (2) nursing, environment, protocol, and miscellaneous issues. Issues with family behaviors were families’ insistence on futile care, intrafamily disagreement about do-not-resuscitate and do-not-intubate orders, issues with out-of-town family members, and family members’ desire to hasten the patient’s death. Issues with physician behaviors were providing false hope, dishonest communication, continuation of futile treatments, and not ordering pain medications. Nursing-related issues were not having enough time to provide end-of-life care, already knowing the patient or family, and compassion for the dying patient and the family. Family issues and physician behaviors are common obstacles in rural nurses’ provision of end-of-life care. Education of family members on end-of-life care is challenging because it is most families’ first experience with intensive care unit terminology and technology. Further research on end-of-life care in CAHs is needed.

Background: Twenty percent of Americans live in rural areas where most of their health care is provided in critical-access hospitals (CAHs). It is unknown how frequently obstacle and helpful behavior items occur in end-of-life (EOL) care in CAHs. Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of occurrence scores of obstacle and helpful behavior items in providing EOL care in CAHs and to also determine which obstacles and helpful behaviors have the greatest or least impact on EOL care based on the magnitude scores. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to nurses working in 39 CAHs in the United States. Nurse participants were asked to rate obstacle and helpful behavior items by size and frequency of occurrence. Data were analyzed to quantify the impact of obstacle and helpful behavior items on EOL care in CAHs by multiplying the mean size by the mean frequency of items to determine mean magnitude scores. Results: Items with the highest and lowest frequency were determined. In addition, obstacle and helpful behavior item magnitude scores were calculated. Seven of the top 10 obstacles were related to patients' families. Seven of the top 10 helpful behaviors involved nurses ensuring families had positive experiences. Conclusion: Nurses in CAHs perceived issues around patient family members as significant obstacles to EOL care. Nurses work to ensure that families have positive experiences. Visiting hour issues seemed to be irrelevant. The use of technology, such as telehealth, seemed to provide little benefit in EOL care in CAHs.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a vaccination education module to improve vaccine expectations and behaviors among college freshmen. Participants: The participants were 177 college freshmen at one private Utah university. Participants were eligible for this study if admitted as new freshmen during the 2019–2020 school year. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional pre- and post-education evaluation assessing vaccine expectations and behaviors using Likert-type and open-ended questions. Results: After completing the vaccination education module, participants’ vaccine expectations and behavioral intentions improved. Participants reported they were more likely to be up-to-date on personal vaccines and more likely to expect other students to be up-to-date on their vaccinations. Participants were more likely to ask other students to vaccinate and were also more likely to ask their family members to be vaccinated. Conclusions: This online vaccination education module effectively improved participants’ vaccine expectations and behavioral intentions.

Background: Critical access hospitals were created to bring health care to rural populations. These hospitals lack equipment and resources, but the nurses who work there still provide end-of-life care to critically ill and dying patients. Objective: To determine how nurses in critical access hospitals perceive the size of obstacles and helpful behaviors for the provision of end-of-life care. Methods: Questionnaires were sent to a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of nurses working in 39 critical access hospitals. The nurses were asked to score obstacle and helpful behavior items on a scale of from 0 (not an obstacle or not a help, respectively) to 5 (extremely large obstacle or extremely large help, respectively). The items were then ranked from highest to lowest according to their mean scores. Results: Seven of the top 10 obstacles were directly related to family behaviors and attitudes, such as families not understanding what lifesaving measures entail and internal family disagreements about life support. Helpful behaviors ranked in the top 10 included interventions that were controlled by nurses and items that affected the nurses’ having adequate time to deliver end-of-life care. Obstacles and helpful behavior items unique to critical access hospitals, such as a lack of resources and the nurse knowing the patient or the patient’s family, ranked below the top 10 items. Conclusion: Obstacles and helpful behaviors for providing end-of-life care remain consistent. Nurses in critical access hospitals are accustomed to working without the typical resources found in urban hospitals and thus did not perceive resource deficits to be among the greatest obstacles to providing end-of-life care. Family behaviors and attitudes remain the most dominant obstacle noted by nurses.

Background: Critical care nurses (CCNs) frequently provide end of life (EOL) care in intensive care units (ICUs). Obstacles to EOL care in ICUs exist and have been previously published along with reports from CCNs. Further data exploring obstacles faced during ICU EOL care may increase awareness of common EOL obstacles. Research focusing on obstacles related to physician behaviors and nursing issues (and others) may provide improvement of care. Objective: The aim of this study was to gather first-hand data from CCNs regarding obstacles related to EOL care. Methods: A random, geographically dispersed sample of 2000 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses was surveyed. Responses from an item asking CCNs to tell us of the obstacles they experience providing EOL care to dying patients were analyzed. Results: There were 104 participants who provided 146 responses to this item reflecting EOL obstacles. These obstacles were divided into 11 themes; 6 physician-related obstacles and 5 nursing- and other related obstacles. Major EOL ICU barrier themes were inadequate physician communication, physicians giving false hope, poor nurse staffing, and inadequate EOL care education for nurses. Discussion and Conclusion: Poor physician communication was the main obstacle noted by CCNs during ICU EOL care, followed by physicians giving false hope. Heavy patient workloads with inadequate staffing were also a major barrier in CCNs providing EOL care.

Critical care nurses routinely care for dying patients. Research on obstacles in providing end-of-life care has been conducted for more than 20 years, but change in such obstacles over time has not been examined. To determine whether the magnitude scores of obstacles and helpful behaviors regarding end-of-life care have changed over time. In this cross-sectional survey study, questionnaires were sent to 2000 randomly selected members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Obstacle and helpful behavior items were analyzed using mean magnitude scores. Current data were compared with data gathered in 1999. Of the 2000 questionnaires mailed, 509 usable responses were received. Six obstacle magnitude scores increased significantly over time, of which 4 were related to family issues (not accepting the poor prognosis, intrafamily fighting, overriding the patient’s end-of-life wishes, and not understanding the meaning of the term lifesaving measures). Two were related to nurse issues. Seven obstacles decreased in magnitude, including poor design of units, overly restrictive visiting hours, and physicians avoiding conversations with families. Four helpful behavior magnitude scores increased significantly over time, including physician agreement on patient care and family access to the patient. Three helpful behavior items decreased in magnitude, including intensive care unit design. The same end-of-life care obstacles that were reported in 1999 are still present. Obstacles related to family behaviors increased significantly, whereas obstacles related to intensive care unit environment or physician behaviors decreased significantly. These results indicate a need for better end-of-life education for families and health care providers.

Major obstacles exist in the care of patients at the end of life: lack of time, poor or inadequate communication, and lack of knowledge in providing care. Three possible nursing roles in care decision-making were investigated: Information Broker, Supporter, and Advocate. The purpose of this study was to examine obstacles faced by oncology nurses in providing end-of-life (EOL) care and to examine roles of nurses in providing care. A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was applied. The study was conducted at two major University Hospitals of Oncology in Lithuania that have a combined total of 2365 beds. The study sample consisted of 239 oncology registered nurses. Data collection tool included a questionnaire about assessment of obstacles and supportive behaviors, nursing roles, and socio-demographic characteristics. The two items perceived by respondents as the most intense obstacles to providing EOL care were The nurse’s opinion on immediate patient care is not welcome, valued or discussed and. Family has no access to psychological help after being informed about the patient’s diagnosis. The majority of respondents self-assigned the role of Supporter. Major obstacles in providing care included the nurse’s opinion that immediate patient care was not valued, lack of nursing knowledge on how to treat the patient’s grieving family, and physicians who avoided conversations with the patient and family members about diagnoses and prospects. In EOL care nurses most frequently acted as Supporters and less frequently as Advocates.

Critical-care nurses (CCNs) provide end-of-life (EOL) care on a daily basis as 1 in 5 patients dies while in intensive care units. Critical-care nurses overcome many obstacles to perform quality EOL care for dying patients. The purposes of this study were to collect CCNs’ current suggestions for improving EOL care and determine if EOL care obstacles have changed by comparing results to data gathered in 1998. A 72-item questionnaire regarding EOL care perceptions was mailed to a national, geographically dispersed, random sample of 2000 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. One of 3 qualitative questions asked CCNs for suggestions to improve EOL care. Comparative obstacle size (quantitative) data were previously published. Of the 509 returned questionnaires, 322 (63.3%) had 385 written suggestions for improving EOL care. Major themes identified were ensuring characteristics of a good death, improving physician communication with patients and families, adjusting nurse-to-patient ratios to 1:1, recognizing and avoiding futile care, increasing EOL education, physicians who are present and “on the same page,” not allowing families to override patients’ wishes, and the need for more support staff. When compared with data gathered 17 years previously, major themes remained the same but in a few cases changed in order and possible causation. Critical-care nurses’ suggestions were similar to those recommendations from 17 years ago. Although the order of importance changed minimally, the number of similar themes indicated that obstacles to providing EOL care to dying intensive care unit patients continue to exist over time.