Many nurses express a lack of comfort and capability in the care of patients who are dying. Having little end-of-life (EOL) education, experience, and support can contribute to these sentiments. The aim of this project was to evaluate the impact of an electronic order set that included evidence-based medications and structured symptom assessments on nurses’ self-perceived capability and comfort with EOL care. An education program accompanied the intervention. There was a statistically significant difference in the comfort and capability scores of those nurses that interfaced with the EOL order set verses those that did not. The use of a structured order set providing appropriate medications and focused nursing assessments enhanced nurses comfort and capability with EOL care.
Keywords: electronic order set; end-of-life; nurse comfort and capability.