Abstract
Background Caring for individuals at the end of life is a profound emotional and complex responsibility, especially
within acute care settings where healthcare professionals must navigate the delicate balance between administering
life-saving treatments and providing end-of-life care. This dual role can create considerable challenges for healthcare
providers, many of whom may feel inadequately prepared or lack the confidence to offer the specialized care required
in these situations. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing nurses’ self-efficacy in delivering EOLC in
Palestinian acute care hospitals, focusing on communication and patient management competencies.
Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 nurses from governmental hospitals in Nablus, Salfit,
and Ramallah, selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire
that included demographic information and the validated Self-Efficacy in Palliative Care Scale (SEPC-S), covering
communication and patient management domains. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics.
Inferential analyses—including Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression—were
performed to identify significant relationships and predictors of self-efficacy in EOLC. All statistical analyses were
conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0.
Results Nurses reported moderate self-efficacy in EOLC, with patient management scoring highest (mean = 7.57,
SD = 1.49) and communication lowest (mean = 4.84, SD = 2.40). Significant positive correlations were found between
self-efficacy and factors such as age (p = 0.212), marital status (p = 0.03), and education level (p = 0.06). Stepwise
regression analysis showed that both patient management (β = 0.76, p < 0.001) and communication (β = 0.54,
p < 0.001) domains significantly

Title

BMC Nursing

Publisher

BMC

Publisher Country

United States of America

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

3.9

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

24

Year

2025

Pages

893