The relationship between the perception of spiritual care and attitudes and behaviors toward end-of-life care in critical care nurses in northern Turkey

Background: Critical care nurses’ spiritual care and end-of-life care practices are important in providing and maintaining holistic care. This study aimed to explore the relationship between critical care nurses’ perceptions of spiritual care and their attitudes and behaviors toward end-of-life care. Methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 174 critical care nurses employed in two state hospitals in northern Turkey. Research data were collected from May 2024 to July 2024. The inclusion criteria were being employed as a nurse in the intensive care unit for at least one year and voluntarily participating in the study. Data were collected using a Nurse Introduction Form, the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS), and the End-of-Life Care Attitudes and Behaviors Scale (EACAS) of Intensive Care Nurses. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were employed, along with Pearson correlation analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis, to analyze the data. Results: There was no significant correlation between the mean total score of critical care nurses on SSCRS and their mean total score regarding attitudes and behaviors toward end-of-life care (r = -0.063, p = 0.408). There was a moderate positive correlation between age (r = 0.224, p = 0.03) and professional experience (r = 0.189, p = 0.013) of critical care nurses and their attitudes and behaviors toward end-of-life care (p <0.05). Age (β = 0.013, p = 0.014), professional experience (β = 0.018, p = 0.041), and the status of receiving training on end-of-life care (β = 0.399, p = 0.00) were the most important predictors of the attitudes and behaviors of critical care nurses toward end-of-life care. Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that critical care nurses’ perception of spiritual care was not a significant predictor of their attitudes and behaviors toward end-of-life care. However, it was seen that nurses' age and professional experience may affect their attitudes and behaviors toward end-of-life care. In this regard, educational programs to improve nurses’ perception of spiritual care and their attitudes and behaviors toward end-of-life care are recommended.