Avaliação do conhecimento de intensivistas sobre morte encefálica

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Failure or delay to diagnose brain death leads to needless occupation of a hospital bed, emotional and fi nancial losses, and unavailability of organs for transplants. The intensive care physician plays an essential role in this diagnosis. This study intended to evaluate intensivists' knowledge concerning brain death. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in 15 intensive care units (ICU) in eight hospitals in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-six intensivists were interviewed in a consecutive sample between April and December 2005. The prevalence of lack of knowledge regarding the concept was of 17%. Twenty per cent of the interviewees ignored the legal need for complementary confi rmatory tests for their diagnosis. Forty-seven per cent considered themselves Evaluation of Intensivists' Knowledge on Brain Death*

Avaliação do conhecimento de médicos intensivistas de Teresina sobre morte encefálica

“…In the study conducted in Porto Alegre 4 , 80.5% of physicians answered correctly. In the Recife study 7 , the proportion of correct answers was 89.8%, a noteworthy figure.…”

“…Another study 4 , surveyed 54 intensive care physicians and 54 ICU nurses from five different hospitals, of whom 70.4% correctly defined the concept of brain death. The specific proportion of physicians with such knowledge, however, was not described.…”

“…However, this study addressed doctors and nurses, without specifying the number of doctors who responded correctly. In the original study by Harrison and Botkin 5 , all the intensive care doctors answered correctly, but unlike in Brazil, in the United States, the country where the study was conducted, there is no requirement for additional tests to confirm diagnosis, which is based on the overall clinical evaluation 4,10 .…”

“…The data collection instrument was a questionnaire with closed questions, adapted from two previous studies 4,5 , and divided into two sections. The first was to identify the professional profile of the participating doctors, and the second was composed of six closed multiple choice questions, to analyze understanding of brain death and its diagnostic criteria.…”

“…The main causes of brain death are traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular disease, primary brain tumor and anoxic encephalopathy, and those with such illnesses are often treated in intensive care units (ICUs) 2,4 .…”