Self-Perceived Competence of Nurses and Care Aides Providing a Palliative Approach in Home, Hospital, and Residential Care Settings: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background and purpose A palliative approach involves adapting and integrating palliative care knowledge and expertise earlier on and across sectors of care for people who have life-limiting chronic conditions. This study explored the extent to which nurses’ and care aides’ self-perceived palliative care competence may explain variation in the application of a palliative approach across nursing care settings that do not specialize in palliative care. A secondary objective was to psychometrically evaluate an instrument for measuring self-perceived palliative care competence. Methods and procedures: Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey (N = 1468) of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and care aides at 114 randomly selected hospital-based medical units, home care offices, and residential care facilities. The questionnaire included the Palliative Care Nursing Self-Competence Scale. Multilevel logistic regression and multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Results In addition to self-perceived competence, factors associated with a palliative approach include identification of patients who have life-limiting conditions and who would benefit from a palliative approach, and work environment. The psychometric analyses of the Palliative Care Nursing Self-Competence Scale confirmed a 10-dimensional structure, strong internal consistency reliability, and measurement equivalence. Discussion and conclusion: This study provides information for future development and research on interventions for integrating a palliative approach.