Palliative care: knowledge of graduates from a medical school in Goiás

Abstract: Introduction: Palliative care (PC) consists of multidisciplinary and holistic assistance to the patient to improve their quality of life and that of their relatives, through the prevention and relief of illnesses, seeking to soften their physical, social, psychological and spiritual aspects. There is an outstanding and growing need for PC, given that, with an aging population and increased prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases, millions of people require PC every year, and only 14% of those people actually receive such services care until the end of life. Objective: To gauge the knowledge of medical graduates in 2020 from a Higher Education Institution in the state of Goiás about PC. Method: This work was conducted through a descriptive, transversal and quantitative study, using the validated questionnaire “General Questionnaire on Palliative Care - QGCP”, containing adaptations and objective questions, performed online. The sample universe consisted of 74 graduates. Participation was voluntary and, exclusively for scientific purposes, in line with the ethical recommendations for anonymity and confidentiality. Results: It was found that the majority of the participants considered PC to be “important” or “very important”, although only a minority were interested in undergoing specific training in this area in their clinical practice. Furthermore, although only one question in the questionnaire was answered incorrectly more than 50% of the time, inferring that the participants demonstrate a certain knowledge in PC, 86.5% (n=64) of the participants did not consider their knowledge about PC as “appropriate” or “very appropriate”. Conclusion: The results reveal that although academics recognize the importance of PC, a lack of knowledge about the underlying philosophy and principles, as well as insecurity regarding the conducts to be prescribed, highlight the need for permanent education on the subject. These findings corroborate national and international studies, which affirm the need to disseminate knowledge about the philosophy and principles of PC.摘要： 引言：姑息治疗（Palliative Care, PC）指通过多学科全人照护，预防与缓解病痛，改善患者及其家属的生活质量，兼顾改善患者躯体、社会、心理及精神层面的状况。当前人口老龄化加剧、慢性非传染性疾病患病率持续上升，每年有数百万患者需要姑息治疗，但仅有14%的患者在临终前能够获得此类服务，因此姑息治疗的需求显著且与日俱增。 研究目的：评估戈亚斯州某高等教育机构2020届医学毕业生对姑息治疗的认知水平。 研究方法：本研究采用描述性横断面定量研究设计，通过线上发放经过调适、包含客观题的《姑息治疗通用问卷（General Questionnaire on Palliative Care, QGCP）》开展调研。研究总体包含74名毕业生，参与均为自愿且仅用于科学研究，符合匿名与保密的伦理规范要求。 研究结果：绝大多数参与者认为姑息治疗"重要"或"极为重要"，但仅有少数人表示愿意在临床实践中接受该领域的专项培训。此外，尽管问卷中仅有1道题的答错率超过50%，提示参与者对姑息治疗具备一定认知，但86.5% (n=64)的参与者认为自身对姑息治疗的认知"并不恰当"或"极不恰当"。 研究结论：尽管参与者认可姑息治疗的重要性，但由于对其核心理念与原则缺乏认知，且对临床处置方案存在不确定感，凸显了开展该领域持续性教育的必要性。本研究结果与国内外已有研究结论一致，均证实亟需普及姑息治疗的核心理念与原则相关知识。