The effectiveness of a nursing program in terminal ill patients, Wangchin Hospital, Phrae Province.

Abstract

     This quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate the effects of a nursing intervention program on peaceful death preparedness among terminally ill patients. Thirty people were selected as a purposive sample. The instruments for experimenting were the nursing program for the terminally ill patients created by the researcher. The data collecting tools were 1) a demographic questionnaire for terminal ill patients form. 2) a questionnaire for assessing peaceful death. 3) The Palliative Performance Scale from. 2) The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.5) a satisfaction evaluation from terminal ill patients family. The reliability index was 0.75-0.95. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test.

     The results indicated that after intervention: 1) the mean scores of peaceful death perception were significantly higher after the intervention (p < 0.05); 2) the mean scores of functional ability, as measured by the Palliative Performance Scale, showed a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05); 3) the mean scores of symptom severity, as measured by the ESAS across 10 symptoms, were significantly lower than those before the nursing intervention program (p < 0.05); and 4) the degree of family satisfaction with end-of-life care was reported to be high. The findings suggest that the nursing intervention program is effective in enhancing functional capacity, promoting a peaceful death perception, improving symptom management, and promoting family satisfaction as it involves the care of patients who are close to death.