Assessment of knowledge in palliative care of physical therapists students at a university hospital in Brazil

BACKGROUND: In Brazil there are several challenges to reach a humanized health care. Among them is the well-known lack in academic education and training in palliative care field. This lack is mostly due to the modern medical care culture that prioritize curative medicine ahead of palliative care. As the goal of saving lives is rooted in medical training, death is still confronted as the main enemy of the health professionals. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the knowledge of palliative care among the physical therapists of a University Hospital. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. The volunteers were physical therapists, who had worked in the hospital for more than six months, were included undergraduate students, experienced professionals and graduate students. A questionnaire with closed questions about palliative care was applied during the volunteers working hours. Data were analyzed descriptively. CONCLUSION: We conclude that, the vast majority of the evaluated professionals presented basic palliative care knowledge, but not in palliative care core components. The palliative care practice seemed often guided by the knowledge acquired in other fields, always with an intuitive character. Therefore, we detected a lack in the physical therapist training regarding palliative care. Summarily, physical therapists should receive a general training in palliative care still as an undergraduate, for a more effective and consistent professional practice later on.