@article{article_1653258, title={Does Being a Healthcare Professional Affect Death Literacy?}, journal={Balıkesir Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi}, volume={14}, pages={383–390}, year={2025}, DOI={10.53424/balikesirsbd.1653258}, author={Coşkun, Sabahat and Bağçivan, Gülcan}, keywords={Ölüm, Okuryazarlık, Palyatif Bakım, Sağlık Personeli}, abstract={Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge and awareness regarding death literacy in Turkish society and to identify differences in knowledge levels between healthcare professionals and non-healthcare individuals. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using a comparative descriptive design. Since the population size was unknown, a sample size calculation was performed, and a total of 418 participants (200 healthcare professionals and 218 non-healthcare individuals) were recruited through snowball sampling. The data collection tool consisted of a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and items from the Death Literacy Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 software through descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and ANOVA. Results: The overall level of death literacy among participants was found to be moderate (93.11 ± 13.93). Healthcare professionals had significantly higher levels of practical knowledge (p ≤ 0.001), experiential care (p ≤ 0.001), factual knowledge (p ≤ 0.001), community knowledge (p = 0.047), and overall death literacy (p ≤ 0.001) compared to non-healthcare individuals. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of conversational support (p = 0.828), experiential knowledge (p = 0.224), community support groups (p = 0.199), and access to help (p = 0.066). Conclusion: Comprehensive educational programs that incorporate both theoretical knowledge and practical support systems are needed to improve death literacy. Efforts to enhance death literacy should be emphasized not only among healthcare professionals but also throughout the general population.}, number={2}, publisher={Balıkesir Üniversitesi}