Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although nurses have a fundamental role in end-of-life care, nursing curricula have not paid enough attention to this area. This research aimed to understand the educational needs of undergraduate nursing students regarding end-of-life care. METHODS: This study was a qualitative content analysis conducted in 2023 in which 16 participants, including faculty members, nurses, head nurses, nursing educational supervisors, nursing service managers, PhD and MSc students, were selected purposefully. Individual in-depth semi-structured interviews were used face-to-face and over the phone to collect information. The data was analyzed using Elo and Kyngas' inductive content analysis approach with the help of MAXQDA 2020 software. Also, Elo et al.'s checklist was used to check the rigor of the data. RESULTS: After coding the interviews, 773 initial codes were generated, which were reduced to 679 after several revisions. These codes were placed into 46 subcategories, 17 categories, and six themes, including the principles of end-of-life care, physical care, psycho-social care, spiritual care, ethical challenges, and after-death care. CONCLUSION: This study determined the educational needs of undergraduate nursing students regarding end-of-life care. Therefore, it is suggested that the results of this study be considered when designing related educational programs for nursing students and nurses.