Knowledge, Practices, Attitudes and Opinions of the Health Personnel of the Department of Pediatrics of a University Hospital in Colombia about the Limitation of Therapeutic Effort in Children

Abstract

Introduction: Concepts like Limitation of Therapeutic Effort (also known as End of Life Care [ELC]) are vital for daily practice. Objective: To identify the knowledge, practices, attitudes and opinions about ELC in a Pediatric service. Method: Descriptive observational cross-sectional study. Structured survey. Results: 121 surveys (80% of the population) were evaluated. 96% of the people know the term ELC, 91.5% have been in contact with at least one case, but only 25% consider having received training in the subject during their training, in 86% of cases the decision to ELC was taken in a multidisciplinary meeting or in conjunction with the family. Conclusions: Respondents are familiar with the term ELC, very few were trained during their training. We consider it necessary to develop educational tools and support with regard to pediatric palliative care for health personnel in charge of pediatric patients.