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Ethical sensitivity of Emergency department employees and their views and knowledge levels on Palliative Care

Patients in need of Palliative Care (PC) often receive medical help from Emergency departments (ER) and sometimes due to healthcare system-related issues the time spent at the ER exceeds the expectations. In order to provide effective care, ER employees should have sufficient knowledge and skills about end-of-life care and PC in ER. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge levels of ER employees on PC, in addition to their educational background and their approach to PC and its possible relation with ethical sensitivity. The present study is a cross-sectional and descriptive study consisting of 100 emergency service employees working in the city centers of Tokat and Kayseri between August 2017 and May 2019. The data were collected using a questionnaire form containing sociodemographic characteristics of the ER employees and their views on PC in addition to the Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire (ESQ). The sample of the study consisted of 100 ER workers; 52 (52%) female and 48 (48%) male. The mean age was 32.16±7.91 years. It was determined that the vast majority of the participants (63%) had not received PC training before. While the average score regarding knowledge levels on PC was found to be 49.10±8.25, the average total score of the Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire was found to be 78.73±20.97. The participants had a higher ethical sensitivity and moderate knowledge levels about PC. There was no significant difference in the total ESQ scores of the ER employees according to the variables of “gender, education, occupation, palliative knowledge and in-service education in the institution” (p>0.05). In order to raise awareness of PC, there is a need for pre-graduation PC training and in-service training after graduation. These practices should be repeated at certain intervals to keep the knowledge up-to-date.