Nurses' knowledge and attitude towards palliative care in Northcentral Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Background: Due to limited development of palliative care practice in Africa, many patients have not yet received formal palliative care. However, there were limited studies conducted among nurses assessing their knowledge and attitude towards palliative care in Ethiopia. Objective: The study aimed to assess nurses’ knowledge and attitude towards palliative care. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and a total of 402 were included in the study. A structured and pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the outcome variables. Finally, the association was declared using AOR at a 95% CI at p ≤0.05. Results: Of the total respondents, 216 (55.81%) were women. This study finding revealed that 304 (78.55%) of the respondents had inadequate knowledge, and 273 (70.54%) had unfavourable attitude towards palliative care. Educational level (AOR=2.61, 95%CI: 1.39, 4.89) and work experience (AOR=5.86, 95%CI:1.27, 26.92) were significantly associated with knowledge and attitude towards palliative care. Conclusions: This study finding showed that educational level and years of work experience showed a significant association with nurses’ knowledge and attitude towards palliative care. The concerned bodies and stake holders shall work together to enhance the nurses’ knowledge and attitude towards palliative care. Keywords: Knowledge; attitude; palliative care; nurses.