Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care

Korean Society for Hospice and Palliative Care (한국호스피스완화의료학회)
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Knowledge and Perceptions of the End of Life among Tunisian Medical and Paramedical Staff

  • Nayssem Khessairi (Department of Pathology, Mongi Slim University Hospital and University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis) ;
  • Dhouha Bacha (Department of Pathology, Mongi Slim University Hospital and University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis) ;
  • Rania Aouadi (Department of Pathology, Mongi Slim University Hospital and University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis) ;
  • Rym Ennaifer (Department of Gastroenterology, Mongi Slim University Hospital and University of Tunis El Manar) ;
  • Ahlem Lahmar (Department of Pathology, Mongi Slim University Hospital and University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis) ;
  • Sana Ben Slama (Department of Pathology, Mongi Slim University Hospital and University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis)
  • Received : 2023.09.26
  • Accepted : 2024.02.16
  • Published : 2024.06.01
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Abstract

Purpose: End-of-life (EOL) care is a vulnerable period in an individual's life. Healthcare professionals (HPs) strive to balance the preservation of human life with respect for the patient's wishes. The aims of our study were to assess HPs' knowledge and perceptions of EOL care and to propose areas of improvement to improve the quality of care. Methods: We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study involving HPs from a university hospital who encountered EOL care situations. We used a questionnaire divided into four sections: knowledge, practice, perception, and training. We calculated the rate of correct answers and the collective competence index. Results: Eighty-six questionnaires were analyzed, with 82.5% (71/86) completed by medical respondents and 17.5% (15/86) by paramedical respondents. Most of the respondents, 71.8% (51/71), were interns and residents. The study focused on palliative care, medical assistance in dying, aggressive medical treatment, and euthanasia, finding adequate knowledge in the first three areas. Respondents assigned to the intensive care unit and those with more than 8 years of experience had significantly higher correct answer rates than their counterparts. Seventy-five percent of respondents (65/86) reported feeling that they had little or no mastery of EOL care, primarily attributing this to insufficient training and the unavailability of trainers. Conclusion: Based on the findings of our study, which we believe to be the first of its kind in Tunisia, we can conclude that HPs possess an acceptable level of knowledge regarding EOL care. However, they require more exposure and training to develop expertise in this area.

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