Effects of advance care planning training on advanced practice nurse students’ knowledge, confidence, and perception of end-of-life care: A mixed-method study

This study aimed to assess how an advance care planning training program affected advanced practice nursing students' knowledge, confidence and perception of end-of-life care in South Korea.Effective communication between healthcare providers, patients and their families is one of the most important components of quality end-of-life care. However, nurses in South Korea may feel uncomfortable helping patients and families with advance care planning because of the cultural taboo against talking about dying.A mixed-method design was used with data obtained from self-administered questionnaires at the onset and end of the advance care planning training program and qualitative data from participant feedback after the program.Data collected from 65 advanced practice nursing students who participated in advance care planning training programs in June-July 2020 and 2021, conducted as part of a graduate clinical practice course, were analyzed. Data were originally collected to examine students' course outcomes. A training program was provided to advanced practice nursing students to improve their knowledge, confidence and perception in advance care planning conversations with their patients. The program comprised three sessions: online lectures, face-to-face simulations and discussions on advance care planning and ethical issues. Changes in advance care planning knowledge, confidence in supporting patients' advance directives, perceived nursing roles in end-of-life treatment decisions and perception of a good death were examined before and after the training.There were statistically significant increases in participants' advance care planning knowledge, confidence in supporting patients' advance directives and perception of the active role of nurses in patients' end-of-life treatment decisions after the training.The results indicate the effects of training programs on advanced practice nursing students' knowledge, confidence and perception of advance care planning communication. They also provide evidence about what contents and methods can be helpful in developing end-of-life care training for advanced practice nursing students.