The journal of nursing research : JNR
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Studies worldwide have shown that most patients with cancer prefer to die at home. Few studies have directly explored the determinants of preference for home death in patients with cancer living in Asia, and none has been conducted in Taiwan. ⋯ This study supports the argument that most terminally ill patients with cancer in Taiwan prefer to die at home. To achieve patient preferences for home death, healthcare professionals should provide prognostic information and initiate end-of-life care discussions among patients and their family to facilitate family understanding of their ill relative's place-of-death preference. Developing clinical interventions to alleviate physical symptoms and providing hospice homecare services for terminally ill patients with cancer, especially those with lung cancer and greater functional dependency, may facilitate a preference for and actualization of home death.
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Adequate nursing workforce is critical to ensure patient safety and reduce the incidence of adverse events. ⋯ Study results may provide a basis for better allocating nursing workforce in hospitals, setting formal standards for minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, and assessing nursing workforce needs at the national level.
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The 20-item Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale is widely used to measure diabetes-related emotional distress. The short-form PAID scale is helpful for the rapid screening of diabetes-related emotional distress in clinical settings. ⋯ The SF-PAID-C is a reliable and valid scale that can be used to screen for diabetes-related emotional problem in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in clinical settings.
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Nurses affect patient safety. Although studies have associated patient safety with nurse staffing levels, Taiwan's Department of Health does not yet support changing nurse workforce standards for medical institutions. ⋯ Nurse workforce and nurse-sensitive patient outcome indicators are positively correlated. The results of this study will help professional nursing groups define suitable nursing workforce standards for medical institutions.
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Spirituality is a necessary component of life. Spiritual care includes the activities necessary to meet the spiritual needs of clients. Nursing students must receive appropriate training to develop their abilities to provide spiritual care. ⋯ This study found that education, experience, career interest in nursing, and career choice affects nursing student perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care. We also found that this effect was independent of gender. Nursing students should be holistic care providers. Integrating spirituality and spiritual care into the standard nursing curriculum is recommended to improve nursing care quality.