Effects of a Case Management Palliative Nursing Model for End-of-life Patients at Thakradan Hospital, Kanchanaburi Province

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the effects of implementing a case management palliative nursing model for end-of-life patients on nursing process and patient outcomes.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study with two-group post-test only design was conducted. The sample group consisted of six registered with at least one year of experience in an inpatient unit, and 56 terminally ill patients divided into before and after experiment groups of 28 each. The research instruments were the nursing model, general information questionnaire, nursing practice and patient outcomes data collection forms. Content validity was established by three experts, with the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.82. Descriptive statistics and independent t-test were used for data analysis.

Results: The mean scores of nursing practice adherence to the guideline of case management palliative nursing for end-of-life patients after the experiment were significantly higher than before the experiment (25.28±1.64 vs 21.33±1.03; p<0.001). The mean scores of patient outcome for palliative care after the experiment were significantly improved compared to before the experiment (28.11±0.31 vs 22.14±1.32; p=0.001).

Conclusions: The case management palliative nursing model for end-of-life patients at Thakradan Hospital, Kanchanaburi Province can enhance the efficiency of end-of-life care, achieving the desired goals.