In this study, the attitudes of student nurses from Kerman and Bam
in Iran towards death and caring for dying patients were compared.
Two types of questionnaire were used: the DAP-R (Death Attitude
Profile Revised) and FATCOD (Frommelt Attitude Towards Caring for
Dying patients). The Bam student nurses, who had more experience
of death due to the Bam earthquake in December 2003, were found
to be less afraid of death and also less likely to give care to people
at the end of life compared to their counterparts in Kerman. In
both groups, those who were educated about death and dying had
more positive attitudes towards caring for people who are dying
than non-educated participants. The study suggests that adding
palliative care education, accompanied by a reflective narrative
approach, to the nursing curriculum is necessary to improve quality
of care at the end of life.