PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES OF FAMILY NURSES IN PALLIATIVE CARE: ASSESSMENT, CHALLENGES, AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2786.2026.2.16413Keywords:
palliative care; family nurse; professional competencies; primary healthcare; communication skills, burnout.Abstract
Objective. To assess the level of professional competencies of family nurses in palliative care and to substanti- ate a model for their development. Materials and Methods. The study involved 47 family nurses working in primary healthcare settings. A ques- tionnaire survey, descriptive statistics, chi-square (χ²) test, and Pearson correlation analysis were used. Results. Only 25.5% of respondents demonstrated a high level of theoretical knowledge, while 44.7% had a moderate level and 29.8% had a low level. Adequate practical skills were reported by 38.3% of nurses, partially adequate by 42.6%, and insufficient by 19.1%. The main difficulties included pain management (61.7%), provision of psychosocial support (57.4%), and care for terminal patients (53.2%). Communication challenges were reported by 68.1% of participants when interacting with patients’ relatives and by 59.6% when delivering bad news. Signs of emotional burnout were identified in 63.8% of respondents. A statistically significant association was found between work experience and knowledge level (χ² = 8.21; p = 0.042), as well as between additional training and competency level (χ² = 9.34; p = 0.025). A positive correlation was found between knowledge and skills (r = 0.62; p < 0.01), and a negative correlation between emotional burnout and competencies (r = –0.48; p < 0.05). Conclusions. The study revealed an insufficient level of professional competencies among family nurses in pal- liative care, particularly in communication and psychosocial domains. The need for targeted educational programs and the development of a competency-based model is substantiated.
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