The Knowledge of Pediatricians About Pediatric Palliative Care

Abstract

Introduction:Pediatric palliative care is the highest level of care aiming to improve the quality of life of all children and families with life-limiting and threatening diseases. The knowledge and awareness of pediatricians about pediatric palliative care in our country is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness level of pediatricians in the field of pediatric palliative care.Methods:The study was planned as a prospective study following the approval of Local Ethics Committee of Dr. Behçet Uz Children’s Hospital. Totally 217 pediatricians answered the questionnaire completely. The data obtained from the survey questions were uploaded to the SPSS program and statistical analysis was performed.Results:Of the 217 pediatricians who participated in the study, 67.3% were women and 59.4% were specialist physicians. 68.7% of the physicians were employed in education and research hospitals and 7.4% in private institutions. It was found that pediatricians heard about pediatric palliative care (p=0.002), but they thought it was less necessary when its effect on quality of life, analgesia and sedation use was questioned.Conclusion:Pediatric palliative care is a new field in our country. It was found that most of the participants heard about pediatric palliative care because they worked in education and research hospital but they did not know the content. In the coming years, we believe that increasing the number of centers and training will increase the knowledge level of pediatricians.

Keywords

• child
• education
• pediatrician
• pediatric palliative care