Pediatric Palliative Care: Competency and Educational Needs Assessment in Pediatricians of a Developing Country

Pediatric Palliative Care: Competency and Educational Needs Assessment in Pediatricians of a Developing Country

Ul-Ain R; Faizan M; Mohamed A

Pediatric Hematology Oncology Journal

2021

competency; educational need; end-of-life care; pediatric palliative care

Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) is a nascent subspecialty that aims on achieving the best possible quality of life for children with life-threatening illnesses. To attain this goal in a developing country, Pediatricians require adequate knowledge and skill in this subject. Assessment of competency and educational needs in Pediatricians is the first step towards this aim. A multi-center, self-reported, cross-sectional, online survey was conducted among Pediatric residents and junior staff pediatricians from various teaching hospitals in Pakistan. Data were analyzed in terms of descriptive statistics using SPSS 16. Total 284 Pediatric residents and junior staff pediatricians from 4 different training programs and 13 different teaching hospitals of Punjab, Pakistan recorded their responses. The mean age of respondents was 30.19 years (+2.67 SD) with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.2. Regarding self-assessment of competency in end-of-life clinical skills, low or below average competence (Mean < 2.55) was reported in assessment and management of terminal delirium, agitation, and anxiety; use of adjuvant analgesics, discussing treatment withdrawal, use of parenteral opioid analgesics, and developing family-centered goals of care. Improved competence was observed with the increasing years of training/experience. Regarding interest(s) in learning about end-of-life clinical topics, all of the 10 topics included in the survey reached a significant level of interest (Mean > 2.5) while the top 3 recommended topics were: Pain assessment and management, assessment and management of terminal delirium, agitation, anxiety, and assessment and management of terminal dyspnea. Pediatricians in a developing country are eager to learn more about PPC but significant gaps exist in current training in PPC in our country that need to be bridged. Copyright © 2021 Pediatric Hematology Oncology Chapter of Indian Academy of Pediatrics

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