Document Type : Research Articles
Authors
1
Pediatric Congenital Hematologic Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Children’s Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2
Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
3
Student Research Committee, Faculty of Nursing, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran.
4
Health Management Research Center, Nursing Faculty, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
5
Nursing Care Research Center in Chronic Diseases, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
6
Kashani Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
7
School of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
8
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
9
Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA.
10
University of Medicine & Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
11
Pediatric Nursing Department, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 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.
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