Introduction Ethics is integral to palliative care, making staff knowledge of healthcare ethics critical. A survey was distributed to palliative care teams at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow to assess staff self-reported knowledge of ethics and ethical issues encountered.

Aims

• To assess staff knowledge of ethics and confidence in applying knowledge;

• To determine the incidence of ethical issues in palliative care;

• To gain insight into the types of ethical issues staff encounter in their work and how they currently deal with these;

• To assess the desire for further staff training in ethics.

Methods The survey was distributed to healthcare assistants, nurses, doctors, allied healthcare professionals and family support services at a hospice and hospital. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel.

Results

• 35 out of 75 surveys were completed; 51% nurses, 23% healthcare assistants, 17% doctors, 3% allied healthcare professionals, and 6% family support services;

• 69% of participants had training in healthcare ethics;

• Participants demonstrated a high knowledge of the four main principles of ethics;

• There was ambiguity as to what constitutes an ethical issue;

• 86% had encountered at least one ethical issue at work;

• Most commonly reported issue was a patient who stopped eating, cited by 44% of hospice participants;

• 50% of hospital staff raised concerns about medical interventions at end of life;

• Majority of respondents felt able to deal with these ethical issues;

• Participants often turned to colleagues for support, benefiting from discussing ethical issues;

• 77% desired ethical training; a course was the most popular method.

Conclusion

• Staff knowledge of ethics appears solid;

• Self-reported staff confidence measures on applying ethical knowledge was high;

• There is a high incidence of ethical issues in palliative care;

• Common ethical issues reported were patients stopping eating and issues surrounding medical interventions;

• Majority of staff were desirous of additional ethical training.