Assessing the Knowledge Pattern Regarding the Palliative Care among the Non-Medical Life Science Students in Bangladesh

Abstract

-Palliative care aims at alleviation of physical symptoms with relieving psychological, social, and spiritual distresses in patients with severe or life-threatening illness. In Bangladesh palliative care is not significantly implemented yet. According to 2015's Quality of Death Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Bangladesh held the position of 79 out of 80 nations providing palliative care. There are only few medical institutions providing this care and also building advanced curriculum on palliative care. However, there is no curriculum on palliative care in non-medical life science departments in this country. Thus the people who are educated are not even aware of this care. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to assess the knowledge level of the students with importance of including curriculum of palliative care among the non-medical life disciplines students of Bangladesh. The present study is an online cross sectional survey, where 307 respondents from non medical life science discipline were participated. According to the study 58% of the respondents believe terminal patients are not having proper care in Bangladesh and 78% of the respondents mention that palliative care should be added as a course material in life science discipline. Thus to have a clear knowledge on palliative care is very necessary to involve in the academic curriculum as a course in non medical life science disciplines.