在安寧醫療團隊裡面，護士幾乎佔了所有貢獻度的絕大多數，所以對於未來的護士─現在的護生，必須給予更多的安寧療護的教育與訓練，才能讓她們更能勝任艱鉅的工作。為了檢視目前的護理教育對於安寧療護的效果，本研究探討了同一所醫學大學的護生，與同一大學附設醫院的護士們對於安寧療護的知識與態度。護理系的一年級至四年級的學生與醫院的所有護士被列為此次研究的對象。問卷第一部分是關於安寧療護的認知程度。第二部分是關於安寧療護的態度。第三部分是受測者之基本背景資料。結果顯示出：知識方面，護士們較瞭解有關於安寧緩和醫療的意義，以及安寧緩和醫療團隊由何種份子組成。護生們較瞭解理想中的安寧療護的服務疾病以及未來理想的安寧療護服務範圍。關於安寧療護的態度問題方面：護士們較傾向於對末期病患的病情告知（P < 0.05)。護士們較傾向於應由健保給付安寧療護的醫療費用（P < 0.05)。護士們較贊成應將生死學的課程列入必修的醫學課程裡面（P < 0.05)。護士們較贊成將安寧療護學的課程列入必修課程裡面。護生們較願意成為安寧療護的志工，護生們也比較願意在未來成為末期病患的照顧護士。所以更充實的安寧療護在學教育以及在職教育仍然是需要的。
Nurses play the most important role in hospice teams treating terminally ill patients. As such, nursing students require more education and training in hospice care to increases their professional hospice care competency. For this review of the effectiveness of the current nursing curriculum with regard to hospice palliative care, we conducted an assessment of the differences in knowledge and attitudes about hospice palliative care between first to fourth-year nursing students and clinical nurses at a medical university hospital in central Taiwan. Questionnaires, designed to be self-administered, addressed questions in three domains. Questions in the first domain assessed respondents' basic knowledge regarding hospice palliative care. Those in the second assessed respondent attitudes toward hospice palliative care through a series of questions including whether terminally ill patients should be informed of the full extent of their condition; whether National Health Insurance (NIH) should pay for hospice palliative care; whether thanatology should be taught as a compulsory subject in medical school; whether the respondent would be willing to be either a hospice palliative care volunteer or terminal care nurse; and whether hospice training should be included in the medical school curriculum. Questions in the third domain recorded respondents' personal data. On our survey, clinical nurses generally scored higher than nursing students on basic knowledge regarding hospice palliative care and on the standard composition of a hospice team. As a group, nursing students outscored clinical nurses on questions regarding which diseases benefit from hospice palliative care services and hospice palliative care entries. Clinical nurses were more supportive of telling terminally ill patients the severity of their condition, having the National Health Insurance cover palliative care costs, making thanatology compulsory for medical school students, and instituting a hospice palliative care curriculum in medical school. Nursing students indicated greater willingness to serve as hospice palliative care volunteers and terminal care nurses. Our study shows that further hospice-palliative care education is required for both nursing students and clinical nurses.
