Barriers to healthcare professionals' ability to provide end-of-life care: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

There is a growing need for end-of-life care and it is imperative that health professionals have the capacity to provide this care.

AIM: To investigate the factors that can influence the levels of spirituality, emotional intelligence, palliative care knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes towards end-of-life care and the perception of the ability of to provide end-of-life care for doctors and nurses.

METHOD: Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire during May and July of 2022 of doctors and nurses in a public hospital in Portugal (n=380).

RESULTS

Statistically significant associations were found between sociodemographic and professional variables.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the findings of this study, the palliative care knowledge, spirituality and the ability to provide end-of-life care increase with experience and training in palliative care. Self-efficacy and emotional intelligence also increase with experience in healthcare. Most professionals do not have training or experience in palliative care, but palliative care training should be mandatory during professional internships and workplace training.