As in other Western countries, most Norwegian nursing home patients are suffering from multi-pathological
conditions and a large majority of them will die in the nursing home. End-of-life care represents
many challenges, and it is a widespread concern that several nursing homes lack both resources and
competence to ensure good quality care. This article examines the types and prevalence of ethical
challenges in end-of-life care as nursing home staff consider them, as well as what they believe can help
them to better cope with the ethical challenges. It is based on a national survey probing Norwegian
nursing homes’ end-of-life care at the ward level conducted in 2007. 664 respondents from 364 nursing
homes answered the questionnaire, representing 68% of the patients and 76% of the nursing home
sample.