02039nam a22001817a 4500001001300000003000400013005001700017008004100034245019000075520138200265580005801647650001701705650002001722650003301742700003801775700001801813700002601831D0001J000386DOH20210330155927.0210330b           ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d02aA survey of physicians' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions on hospice care in a tertiary private hospital setting in the Philippines /cMa. Eileen C. Ramones-Sianghio [and two others]3 aHospice care is relatively underutilized in the Philippines, possibly due to inadequate education and training. We assessed the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of benefits and barriers to hospice care in a tertiary private hospital setting.

METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and November 2012. Two hundred twenty eight physicians from Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) were given a questionnaire consisting of four sections: demographic/practice variables, attitudes towards hospice, knowledge about hospice policies and services, and perceptions regarding benefits and barriers to hospice referral.

RESULTS: One hundred physicians aged 31 to over 60 years responded to the questionnaire. Nearly half had been in practice for more than 20 years. One third were internists and one fifth were surgeons. About half had not discussed hospice to patients or family members in the past three months. Physicians demonstrated positive attitudes toward hospice and felt comfortable facilitating hospice referrals. The mean number of correct answers in the knowledge section was 5.3 out of 8 items Respondents perceived many benefits as well as strong barriers to early hospice referrals.

CONCLUSION: Physicians in MDH appear to have adequate knowledge about, positive attitudes toward, and strong perceptions of benefits and barrier to hospice care.  aThe Filipino Family Physician, 2013 51 (1) pages 1-13 2aHospice Care 2aPalliative Care 2aAttitude of Health Personnel1 aRamones-Sianghio,  Ma. Eileen C. 1 aAng,  Andrew 1 aEstepa-Garcia, Karin