The Effect of a Professional Empowerment Program on ICU Nurses’ Clinical Decision-Making and Attitudes Toward End-of-Life Care: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Seyed Farzad  Forghani; Abdolghani  Abdollahimohammad; Mohammadreza  Firouzkouhi; Mahin  Naderifar; Elham  Shahraki-Moghadam

doi:10.18502/jimc.v9i1.20477

Seyed Farzad Forghani Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
Abdolghani Abdollahimohammad Department of Medical Surgicay, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
Mohammadreza Firouzkouhi Department of Medical Surgicay, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
Mahin Naderifar Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
Elham Shahraki-Moghadam Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jimc.v9i1.20477

Keywords: Clinical decision-making, Death, Family, Humans, In-tensive care units, Terminal care

Abstract

Background: Nurses play a vital role in improving health standards and should remain updated to be capable of making effective clinical decisions in end-of-life period. The present study aimed to determine the effect of a professional empowerment program on Intensive Care Units (ICUs) nurses’ clinical decision-making and attitudes toward end-of-life care.

Methods: This quasi-experimental, a pre-test and post-test design with a control group was conducted on 36 eligible ICU nurses who were randomly assigned to the intervention and control group (18 individuals each). The professional empowerment program on clinical decision making on end-of-life care and attitudes was delivered to the intervention group in 10 weekly sessions, while the control group received no training. Participants in both groups completed the Participation in Decision Activities Questionnaire (PDAQ) and Frommelt’s (1991) Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale (FATCOD) before and after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS-26 with independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests.

Results: The data revealed no significant differences (p>0.05) between the intervention and control groups regarding clinical decision-making and end-of-life care before the professional empowerment program. However, a significant difference (p<0.05) was found after the intervention, indicating the program’s effectiveness in improving ICU nurses’ clinical decision-making and attitudes towards end-of-life care.

Discussion: The findings suggest that the professional empowerment program significantly improved ICU nurses’ clinical decision-making and attitudes towards end-of-life care for family members. Therefore, empowerment can be used as an effective intervention to enhance nurses’ decision-making and their attitudes towards end-of-life care.