Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding the Limitation of Therapeutic Efforts by Health Personnel at a University Hospital

Abstract

Limitation of therapeutic efforts refers to the decision not to initiate or to withdraw medical treatment for a patient (with or without the ability to decide) who will not benefit clinically from it. What justifies this behavior is the sense of disproportion between the end and the therapeutic means. The purpose of this article is to describe the attitudes, knowledge and practices of health professionals working at a university hospital. A descriptive, transversal study was conducted in which a number of health professionals who work at the hospital in question were asked to complete a questionnaire on their knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning the limi- tation of therapeutic efforts for hospitalized patients. A total of 412 persons responded to the questionnaire, Fifty percent (50%) of those surveyed were nursing aids and 25 % were physicians. Only 14.6% knew what “limitation of therapeutic efforts” means, and 62.4 % of the physicians admitted having difficulty making such decisions. Despite the importance of this bioethical issue and the controversy it provokes from a personal and professional standpoint, health professionals know little about it. More training and awareness in this respect are needed.