BackgroundPalliative care knowledge is essential in primary healthcare due to the increasing number of patients who require attention in the final stage of their life. Health professionals (physicians and nurses) need to acquire specific knowledge and abilities to provide high-quality palliative care. The development of education programmes in palliative care is necessary. The Palliative Care Knowledge Test (PCKT) is a questionnaire that evaluates the basic knowledge about palliative care, but it has not been adapted into Spanish, and its effectiveness and utility for Spanish culture have not been analysed.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to report the translation into Spanish and a psychometric analysis of the PCKT.MethodsThe questionnaire survey was validated with a group of 561 physicians and nurses. The PCKT Spanish Version (PCKT-SV) was obtained from a process, including translation, back translation and revision by experts and a pilot study. The content validity and reliability of the questionnaire were analysed.ResultsThe results showed internal consistency and reliability indexes similar to those obtained by the original version of PCKT.ConclusionThe PCKT-SV is a useful instrument for measuring Spanish-speaking physician and nurse knowledge of palliative care, and it is suitable to evaluate the effectiveness of training activities in palliative care.
The increase in life expectancy has led to a growth in the number of people in need of palliative care. Health professionals must possess appropriate knowledge and skills. This study aimed to assess knowledge in palliative care through the Palliative Care Knowledge Test Spanish Version (PCKT-SV)®. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 40 primary care health services. A total of 600 PCKT-SV questionnaires were distributed among health professionals; 561 of them (226 nurses and 335 physicians) were properly filled up. Sociodemographic information, education, and work experience were also recorded. A total of 34.41% of the nurses and 67.40% of the physicians showed good or excellent knowledge of palliative care. Physicians’ scores for pain, dyspnea, and psychiatric disorders were higher than those of the nurses. Nurses scored significantly better in philosophy. Professionals with continuous training in palliative care showed a higher level of knowledge. Age and work experience of physicians and undergraduate training in nurses had significant weight in knowledge. Developing continuous training and enhancing undergraduate training in palliative care will lead to improved patient care at the end of life.
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