Effectiveness of an Educational Workshop on Palliative Care Knowledge in Lebanese Nurses

BACKGROUND: Lebanon is one of the world's smallest countries, with an area of 10,452 square kilometers. Life expectancy in Lebanon presently stands at about 76.6 years for men and 79.3 years for women. It is well known that with long life comes chronic disease, serious illness, and increased resource utilization. With a rapidly aging population and ever-increasing life expectancy, an increase in illnesses that affect the elderly is expected to follow, including non-communicable diseases and cancer. Nurses are the largest workforce in Lebanon and are thus in a prominent position to influence the quality of palliative care (PC) delivery throughout the course of illness. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational workshop on PC knowledge, attitude, and skills for practicing nurses at a Lebanese university medical center. DESIGN: A mixed-method approach comprising a quasi-experimental and a qualitative process evaluation was followed to assess the nurses' knowledge, attitude, and skills about PC before and after the workshop and to evaluate the process itself. A convenience sample of 45 registered nurses working at the university medical center from multiple clinical units participated in the workshop that took place over one day in a referral medical center in Beirut. Inferential statistical analysis was used. RESULTS: Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 for Windows. The paired t test showed a significant increase between the pre-and post-test scores t (39) = 11.07, p < 0.001 with a 95% confidence interval for the mean difference of (17.58–25.45). Thirty-eight participants (90.5%) did not pass the pre-test exam whereas only 12 participants (30.0%) did not pass the post-test exam. RECOMMENDATIONS: It is highly recommended to follow up with the participants of this workshop to determine the immediate and long-term outcomes of this educational workshop as well as offer workshops for a wider population of nurses in Lebanon and the region.