Palliative care in Lebanon

Abstract

Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of palliative care nurses in Lebanon. Method: Cross-sectional descriptive survey using self-administered questionnaire; 1873 nurses from 15 hospitals were included. Results: Non-clinical nurses had better knowledge on the outcomes of palliative care than all other specialties. Oncology nurses had more favourable attitudes than other specialties with regard to informing patients about their diagnosis, patients having the right to 'do-not-resuscitate', involving patients in treatment choices, and respecting their wishes for alternative therapy. Surgical, acute critical care, and obstetric/gynaecology nurses had significantly more negative attitudes towards patients' and families' questions and concerns than other specialties. Conclusion: Formal education in palliative care and development of palliative care services are needed in Lebanon to provide quality care to terminally ill patients.