Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The demand for mortality-related education among hospice care providers in China remains high; however, the overall level of death literacy in China is comparatively low. Given that nurses constitute the primary workforce in hospice and palliative care delivery, enhancing nursing education in death literacy is essential for the effective implementation of related services. METHODS: A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted to examine the internal advantages and limitations, as well as external opportunities and challenges, associated with death literacy nursing education in China. RESULTS: The strengths lie in the strong policy support for healthcare and the advancement of palliative care pilot programs, as well as the growing demand for palliative and end-of-life care accompanied by the successful localization of international experience. The weaknesses include limited educational and faculty resources, a shortage of qualified professionals and institutions, and persistent cultural taboos and traditional moral barriers that hinder development in this field. The opportunities are from shifting public awareness toward end-of-life care, increased international collaboration, and the adoption of more diverse and innovative teaching methods. The threats involve the uneven distribution of medical resources, growing industry competition and talent loss, the complexity of legal, regulatory, and ethical issues, and the continuing challenges of achieving effective interdisciplinary collaboration. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to systematically apply SWOT analysis to provide empirical evidence for the strategic planning of death literacy education in nursing in China. It suggests that to improve death literacy nursing education in China, it is recommended to enhance policy implementation, incorporate international best practices, and promote the integration of intelligent technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration. These efforts should aim to extend educational outreach and resource accessibility to community-level and primary care settings. These strategic initiatives are expected to directly enhance nurses' communication and care competence at the end of life, thereby improving patients' quality of life in their final stages and advancing the goals of the Healthy China 2030 initiative in the field of palliative care.