Does Being a Healthcare Professional Affect Death Literacy?

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.

Keywords

• Death
• Literacy
• Palliative Care
• Health Personel

Sağlık Profesyoneli Olmak Ölüm Okuryazarlığını Etkiler mi?

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türk toplumunda ölüm okuryazarlığına ilişkin bilgi ve farkındalık düzeyini değerlendirmek ve sağlık çalışanları ile sağlık çalışanı olmayan bireyler arasındaki bilgi düzeyi farklarını belirlemektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırma, karşılaştırmalı betimsel desen kullanılarak yürütülmüştür. Bilinmeyen evrende örneklem hesaplaması yapılmış ve kartopu örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak toplam 418 katılımcıya (200 sağlık çalışanı ve 218 sağlık çalışanı olmayan birey) ulaşılmıştır. Veri toplama aracı, katılımcıların sosyodemografik özelliklerini ve Ölüm Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği’ne ait soruları içeren bir formdan oluşmuştur. Veriler, SPSS 21.0 programı kullanılarak sayı, yüzde, bağımsız gruplarda t-testi ve ANOVA testleri ile analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular: Katılımcıların genel ölüm okuryazarlığı düzeyinin orta seviyede olduğu saptanmıştır (93,11±13,93). Sağlık çalışanlarının, sağlık çalışanı olmayan bireylere kıyasla daha yüksek düzeyde pratik bilgi (p ≤ 0,001), uygulamalı bakım (p ≤ 0,001), olgusal bilgi (p ≤ 0,001), toplum bilgisi (p = 0,047) ve genel ölüm okuryazarlığı (p ≤ 0,001) düzeyine sahip oldukları belirlenmiştir. Buna karşın, konuşma desteği (p = 0,828), deneyimsel bilgi (p = 0,224), toplum destek grupları (p = 0,199) ve yardıma erişim (p = 0,066) alt boyutlarında iki grup arasında anlamlı bir fark bulunmamıştır. Sonuç: Ölüm okuryazarlığını geliştirmeye yönelik eğitim programlarının hem teorik bilgileri hem de pratik destek sistemlerini içerecek şekilde bütüncül olarak tasarlanması gerekmektedir. Özellikle sağlık çalışanlarına yönelik olmak üzere, toplum genelinde ölüm okuryazarlığını artırmaya yönelik çalışmaların önemi vurgulanmalıdır.

Keywords

• Ölüm
• Okuryazarlık
• Palyatif Bakım
• Sağlık Personeli

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