Caregivers’ Knowledge of and Attitude towards Palliative Care in Iran

Abstract

Background: Addressing the palliative care needs requires clinicians to have sufficient knowledge of and positive attitudes toward palliative care. The study aimed to determine nurses' and physicians' knowledge of and attitudes towards palliative care in Iran. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 on 493 physicians and nurses, selected through convenience sampling. Three online questionnaires addressing caregivers' demographic and professional's questionnaire, Health Care Providers' Attitude toward PC Questionnaire, and Health Care Providers' Knowledge of PC Questionnaire were used. The data was analyzed in SPSS using correlational and descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results: The mean score of attitude towards palliative care was 142.03 ± 11.35 and the mean score of palliative care knowledge, 19.47 ± 2.62. Considering the regression coefficients between these two mean scores (P-value = 0.001, b = 1.304), it can be inferred that knowledge is a good predictor of attitude. In addition, the mean scores of knowledge and attitude have a significant relationship with age, female gender, holding a master's or PhD degree, the need for formal education in the field of palliative care and the need to take a palliative care course. Conclusions: The present study showed that Iranian nurses and physicians have a moderate level of knowledge and attitude towards palliative care. It is necessary to take measures in order to improve knowledge and attitude by holding retraining courses, theoretical and clinical training sessions and relevant seminars in short term, and also by integrating related topics into nursing and medical curriculums in long term.

The impact of an integrated early palliative care telehealth intervention on the quality of life of heart failure patients: a randomized controlled feasibility study

“…This can be achieved through public education, social media initiatives, and the integration of palliative care content into the curriculum of medical science students especially medical and nursing students. In Iran, palliative care has not been incorporated into the medical education curriculum [ 63 ], and as a result, a large number of healthcare providers have no accurate information about what palliative care is and what its benefits are for patients [ 64 ]. Therefore, training programs for healthcare professionals on palliative care in heart failure patients could be developed and implemented to address this need.…”

Translation and psychometric testing of the Persian Version of nurses’ ethical decision-making in End-of-Life Care Scale

“…Despite various physical and psychological complications caused by their illness, many patients continue to live, but they are deprived of a normal, active life and their existence depends on certain medical devices and special cardiopulmonary care. These patients are known as end-of-life cases [ 2 ]. Every year, approximately 56 million deaths occur worldwide, 85% of which happen in developing countries [ 3 ].…”

“…According to World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 56.8 million of the world’s population are in need of palliative care, 25.7 million of whom are in the last few years of their lives [ 4 ]. Many professional care providers and family caregivers are involved in caring for terminally ill patients, underscoring the significance of end-of-life care in healthcare systems [ 2 ]. Studies show that most patients are not willing to make decisions about their care in their end-of-life stage and most of the decisions related to Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) are made by their care providers or family members [ 5 , 6 ].…”