Effects of nurses' awareness of good death, attitudes toward older adults, and emotional labor on geriatric nursing performance for older adults with cancer: A cross-sectional study.

Older adults with cancer face more pronounced impairments in physical function, adverse treatment responses, and fear of death compared to other age groups, leading to greater dependency on caregivers. This study identified the factors influencing geriatric nursing performance among nurses at a national cancer hospital caring for elderly cancer patients. Data were collected from 176 nurses providing care for older cancer patients in 2022 for a cross-sectional analysis. Variables measured included participant characteristics, awareness of good death, attitudes toward older adults, emotional labor, and geriatric nursing performance. Geriatric nursing performance for cancer patients varied according to educational level and clinical experience. Multiple linear regression analysis identified attitudes toward older adults and emotional labor as significant predictors of geriatric nursing performance. Specifically, more positive attitudes toward older adults and lower levels of emotional labor were associated with better geriatric nursing performance. These findings highlight the importance of developing training programs to enhance nurses' positive attitudes toward older adults and to mitigate emotional labor, ultimately improving the quality of nursing for older adults with cancer in oncology hospitals.