Variability in professional practice among departments explains the type of end-of-life care but not the difficulty of professionals with decision-making / La variabilidad de la práctica profesional entre los departamentos explica el tipo de cuidados sanitarios al final de la vida,pero no las dificultades que afrontan los profesionales respecto de la toma de decisiones

Abstract

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicentre study was conducted to determine the perspectives and experience of physicians and nurses in regard to clinical, psychosocial and ethical actions at the end of life and to determine any variability among departments. A questionnaire was completed by 312 medical and nursing professionals in general and regional hospitals and primary care centres in Granada (Spain). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Bonferroni test were applied to compare responses among departments/centres. p ≤ .05 was considered significant. Questionnaire results significantly differed as a function of the department in which participants worked. Lowest consideration was given to psychological actions, advance directives and ethical dilemmas. Professionals in oncology, palliative care and primary care showed higher and less-variable scores in comparison to those in surgery, internal medicine or intensive care departments. Additional efforts are needed to improve the hospital care of these patients.