Background: Scientific evidence shows gaps in the knowledge of health professionals about palliative care, influencing the quality of care. Objective: To characterise health professionals’ knowledge about palliative care in a Portuguese central university hospital. Methodology: Quantitative, descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional study, with health professionals from a central university hospital as target population. A questionnaire was applied to assess their knowledge about palliative care. Results: Of the 401 professionals in the sample, 16.96% have experience and 26.18% specific training in palliative care. On average, 80.53% of correct answers were given regarding the philosophy of palliative care. The knowledge about symptom control and family support was negatively correlated with the length of professional experience (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Most professionals demonstrate knowledge in palliative care, however it’s essential to invest in training, particularly in professionals with more length of professional practice.
CITATION STYLE
Neves, T. M. A., Marques, A. M., Correia, M. G., Querido, A., & Marques, A. A. (2022). Health professionals’ knowledge of palliative care: Analysis of a Portuguese central hospital. Revista de Enfermagem Referencia, 2022(1). https://doi.org/10.12707/RV21041
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