Oncology nurses’ perceptions of the size of obstacles
and supportive behaviors were published previously
(Beckstrand et al., 2009). Information from oncology
nurses about obstacle and supportive behavior item
size, along with frequency of occurrence data, could
help reveal current priorities in EOL care. The purpose
of this study was to add frequency of occurrence data
to obstacle and supportive behavior item size to determine
individual item impact scores. The research
questions were (a) what do oncology nurses perceive to
be the largest and most frequently occurring obstacles
to providing high-quality EOL care, and (b) what do
oncology nurses perceive to be the largest and most
frequently occurring supportive behaviors to providing
high-quality EOL care?