End-of-Life Care Mobile App for Intensive-Care Unit Nurses: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Intensive-care unit nurses may experience difficulties in end-of-life care because of frustration or lethargy. The purpose of this study was to develop a mobile end-of-life care program for intensive-care unit nurses and evaluate the effects on competence factors such as knowledge, self-efficacy, and compassion. A quasi-experimental design was used. The participants included 44 nurses who had less than three years of experience in the intensive-care unit, divided into the experimental group and control group. After the intervention, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in self-efficacy in end-of-life care and compassion in end-of-life care. Based on the results of this study, the end-of-life care mobile app was an effective educational method for nurses with experience of less than 3 years in an intensive-care unit. To improve the quality of end-of-life care, it is necessary to develop various educational programs considering the greater role of the fourth industrial revolution in the future.

Automated summary

A mobile end-of-life care program was developed for intensive-care unit nurses in this study, aimed at improving competence factors such as knowledge, self-efficacy, and compassion. Results showed a significant improvement in self-efficacy and compassion for nurses after using the mobile app, indicating its effectiveness for nurses with less than 3 years of experience in an intensive-care unit. Further development of educational programs considering the impact of the fourth industrial revolution is necessary to enhance the quality of end-of-life care.