Knowledge and Attitudes of Nurses Regarding Palliative Care in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore

Abstract

Background: Palliative care aims to alleviate physical, psychosocial and spiritual suffering among people living with serious illness. Nurses require relevant knowledge and appropriate professional attitudes to provide this care. Objective: To assess nurses’ knowledge and attitudes regarding palliative care in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 40 nurses from medical, surgical and adult intensive care departments at Ali Fatima Hospital, Lahore, from February to May 2026. Knowledge was assessed with the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (PCQN) and attitudes with the Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale, Form B (FATCOD-B). Data were summarized using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations in SPSS version 25. Results: Thirty-six nurses (90.0%) were female, 31 (77.5%) were aged 21–30 years and 34 (85.0%) held a BSN qualification. Twenty-nine nurses (72.5%) reported no previous end-of-life care training and 26 (65.0%) had no previous end-of-life care experience. Twenty-one nurses (52.5%) were classified as having poor palliative care knowledge, compared with 19 (47.5%) with good knowledge; the mean score was 11.83 ± 1.41. Twenty-two nurses (55.0%) were classified as having negative attitudes and 18 (45.0%) as having positive attitudes; the mean attitude score was 100.42 ± 8.88. Conclusion: Substantial proportions of participants were classified as having poor knowledge and negative attitudes, alongside limited prior training and clinical exposure. These descriptive findings support more detailed assessment of institution-specific educational needs.