Analysis of resident’s knowledge about palliative care in a referral pedriatric hospital

Abstract

Introduction: although the concept of palliative care is already well established in the literature, what is observed in practice is that health professionals seem to lack full knowledge and confidence in managing these patients, attributing this to the lack of continuing education and training. Objective: to identify the level of information of medical residents and the multidisciplinary team about pediatric palliative care at the Hospital Materno Infantil de Brasília Dr. Antônio Lisboa. Methodology: a descriptive, cross-sectional study with an analytical component was carried out, with data collection through a questionnaire. Residents from pediatrics, neonatology, intensive care and residents from the multidisciplinary team participated in the study. Data analysis was carried out using the Microsoft Excel 2013 Office program, using statistical analysis. Results: 109 questionnaires were analyzed, answered by 110 eligible residents. It was evident that the majority of questions were answered correctly (70%), with an average correct answer percentage of 56%. Discussion: Specific medical training in palliative care in Brazil only began in 2010, with the topic of palliative care being addressed in a non-continuous, non-mandatory manner and in disciplines linked to the topic of death, pain or related to the area of oncology only, not appearing in the curriculum of medical schools, creating a deficiency in this topic in the educational process of these professionals. Conclusion: the study showed a good level of knowledge on the part of residents, but there is still a need for improvement in this area, showing the importance of continued education both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.