The Attitudes of Indian Palliative-care Nurses and Physicians to Pain Control and Palliative Sedation

Overview

Journal Indian J Palliat Care

Specialty Critical Care

Date 2011 Jun 3

PMID 21633619

Citations 6

Authors

Joris Gielen

Harmala Gupta

Ambika Rajvanshi

Sushma Bhatnagar

Seema Mishra

Arvind K Chaturvedi

Stef Van den Branden

Bert Broeckaert

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aim: We wanted to assess Indian palliative-care nurses and physicians' attitudes toward pain control and palliative sedation.

Materials And Methods: From May to September 2008, we interviewed 14 physicians and 13 nurses working in different palliative-care programs in New Delhi, using a semi-structured questionnaire, and following grounded-theory methodology (Glaser and Strauss).

Results: The interviewees did not consider administration of painkillers in large doses an ethical problem, provided the pain killers are properly titrated. Mild palliative sedation was considered acceptable. The interviewees disagreed whether palliative sedation can also be deep and continuous. Arguments mentioned against deep continuous palliative sedation were the conviction that it may cause unacceptable side effects, and impedes basic daily activities and social contacts. A few interviewees said that palliative sedation may hasten death.

Conclusion: Due to fears and doubts regarding deep continuous palliative sedation, it may sometimes be too easily discarded as a treatment option for refractory symptoms.

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