Estudio exploratorio sobre conocimientos de cuidados paliativos y actitudes de profesionales de la salud, ante la muerte y el trabajo emocional

Introduction: Due to multiple cultural and educational factors, or lack of information, the healthcare professionals can present anxiety and unhelpful attitudes to the objectives of palliative care. Objective: To determine differences between healthcare professionals regarding knowledge on palliative care, attitudes toward death and emotional burden due to working with terminally-i l l patients. Methods: In this exploratory, descriptive, and cross-sectional study healthcare professionals were interviewed. A questionnaire was applied regarding palliative care, attitudes toward death and emotional work. The information was compared according to professional area. Results: A total of 40 professionals were interviewed: physicians (30%), residents (20%), nurses (25%), social workers (25%). A total of 70% were women. In all, 42.5% were either married or live in common-law marriage. A 55% were catholic. A total of 77.5% had knowledge regarding the objectives of palliative care. A 72.5% has no knowledge of the human rights charter of the terminally-ill patient. There were no differences among professionals regarding their attitude toward death and emotional work. Women conceived death as a passageway to a better life, thus getting a stronger emotional impact. It was also observed that the CONTRIBUCION ORIGINAL