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Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado

2013, Number 2

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Rev Esp Med Quir 2013; 18 (2)

Do Physicians Have Enough Tools to Give the Order of “Do-Not-Resuscitate”? Bioethical Aspects in the Terminal Patient Care

Reyes GJA, Cantú G

Language: Spanish
References: 21
Page: 114-122
PDF size: 438. Kb.


ABSTRACT

Background: During their training, doctors do not have the curriculum required to care for patients with terminal illnesses.
Objective: To determine whether physicians have basic knowledge to assess symptoms and general condition of the terminal patient.
Material and method: An observational study in which a semi structured questionnaire about knowledge of the general assessment scales for most common symptoms in terminally ill patients was applied. Descriptive analysis was performed with measures of central tendency. We evaluated 72 doctors in a hospital that provides care to elderly patients and disabled patients.
Results: 75% of physicians take care for patients with chronic and degenerative diseases. Only 50% had received some training in palliative care and it has almost always been funded by themselves. An institutional program of continuing medical education to train them in basic concepts of palliative care for terminally ill patients is needed. Many of evaluated doctors know the general concepts of what palliative medicine is; however, when the specific subject knowledge is required, they are not able to give detailed descriptions and definitions of terminal illnesses criteria for kidney, heart and lung or dementia.
Conclusion: Doctors do not have the ability to give the order of "do-not-resuscitate" and generalized criteria must be applied to the establishment of standards of palliative care at hospitals. There is an urgent need for medical personnel to obtain proper training on that matter.


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