Autoavaliação do conhecimento em cuidados paliativos por médicos residentes de um hospital universitário.

Abstract

Objective: To verify the self-assessment knowledge of resident doctors at Hospital Universitário Lauro Wanderley (HULW) (Lauro Wanderley University Hospital) regarding Palliative Care (PC). Methods: An observational, transverse and quantitative study was carried out involving resident doctors at HULW who answered a questionnaire with sociodemographic and Palliative Care-related questions. Results: Out of the 172 doctors, 99 (57,6%) took part in this research, 47,5% were between 28 and 32 years old and 54,5% were female. Most of the participants claimed to have learned about the control of common symptoms in palliative assistance, although 97% were in need of improving their knowledge about PC. Only 16,2% knew about the current PC Basic Law; however, over 80% understood the bioethical aspects of the research. Yet, over 75% of the answers which were compatible with knowledge about PC occurred in only 5 out of the 16 questions (31,2%). Conclusion: There is a relative lack of knowledge regarding PC among the interviewed doctors, making further studies on curricular interventions imperative to contribute to the improvement of these professionals.