Attitudes towards caring for terminally-ill patients among in-serviced nursing students at Hanoi medical university, Vietnam

Background Patients with terminal illness suffer from complex symptoms required passionate caring from healthcare professionals including nurses. Within the Vietnamese context, little attention has been given to identifying what is required to prepare nurses’ attitudes to meet the increasing demands for quality end-of-life care. Objectives To explore in-serviced nursing students’ attitudes towards caring for terminally-ill persons and to examine factors influence in-serviced nursing students’ attitudes towards caring for terminally-ill persons. Methods The study used a cross-sectional survey design. The self-administered questionnaires consisted of demographic characteristics and Frommelt’ Attitudes towards Caring for the Dying (FATCOD). Results The results showed that nursing students demonstrated positive attitudes with mean score of FATCOD was 104.76 (SD=9.201). However, negative attitudes towards communication with dying patients were found among nursing students. Statistical significant relationships were existed amongst nursing experience (F= 3.378, p= 0.02), experience of caring for terminal illness (F=8.847, pConclusions There is a need for more end-of-life care education in order for nursing students to improve their attitudes in providing care for terminally-ill patients, particularly in communication skills