Exploring health professionals' knowledge of end of life in Italy

Abstract

The evolution of medicine and technologies applied to medical knowledge has made it possible to extend patients' life expectancy by changing the prognosis of certain pathologies and often transforming their outcome. This has made it possible not only to keep a patient alive after acute events (e.g. cerebrovascular accidents, critical conditions linked to major traumas or road accidents) but also to 'chronicise' certain pathologies. These reflections are within the grasp of health professionals, legal scholars, politicians and ordinary citizens. This study aims to explore health professionals knowledge on terms pertaining to "end of life", that are often used improperly and interchangeably. It also offers an overview of the degree of knowledge and attitudes of health professionals and students of Medicine and Surgery and of the classes of the health professions, through a cognitive survey carried out by means of a digitalized survey on a Google platform administered by e-mail through the Order of Surgeons and Dentists of Salerno, Naples and Caserta, the Professional Order of Nurses of Naples and the student associations. The results point to the need for end-of-life organic legislation and for the implementation of training and continuing education programmes. It is desirable for the widest possible sample to take part in the survey in order to obtain more meaningful statistical information.

Keywords: Assisted suicide; End of life; Ethics; Euthanasia; Knowledge; Medical doctors.