Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess knowledge and awareness levels related to palliative care among senior medical students in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 229 5th and 6th-year students, using a convenience sampling technique. Data about students’ demographics, Grade point average (GPA), and paternal education were collected, and the Palliative Care Quiz of Nursing (PCQN) was used.
Results: A total of 133 (58%) participants were females, 89% were aged between 20 and 25 years, 52% had a GPA >4.6, and 55% and 42% of mothers and fathers had a bachelor’s education. Regarding responses related to PCQN, only 36 (16%) had fair knowledge, and 193 (84%) had poor knowledge. A no -significant association was found between the level of knowledge and demographics or prior knowledge on palliative care. Only 16% of participants demonstrated fair knowledge of palliative care, while the vast majority (84%) showed poor knowledge. Self-classification of knowledge was the only factor that showed a significant association with the level of knowledge.
Conclusion: Although students tend to overestimate their level of knowledge, the level of pediatric palliative care (PPC) knowledge was found to be insufficient. A solid educational foundation about PPC is highly needed to be implemented in medical school.0......

Key words: knowledge, awareness, pediatric palliative care, students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia