Exploring the awareness, knowledge and perceptions of palliative care at end-of-life in a Canadian population

Background The role of palliative care (PC) in chronic disease and end-of-life (EOL) management is rapidly evolving. However, studies globally have demonstrated limited public knowledge and awareness of PC with several misconceptions. Objective The purpose was to expand upon previous Canadian studies by providing more current and detailed information about the awareness, knowledge and perceptions of PC in EOL management. Additionally, the reliability of self-reported PC knowledge was explored. Methods A cross-sectional study using an 8-item questionnaire was conducted at an urban medical centre with 100 adults. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used for analyses. Results Ninety-one participants had heard of PC, while 58 reported being knowledgeable of PC services. Females were significantly more knowledgeable than males (p < 0.05). Most participants knew that PC improves a patient’s quality of life (n = 71), would not shorten life in a dying individual (n = 71) and can be provided in locations outside of the hospital (n = 72). Many indicated that involving PC services would not make them feel like they were giving up hope. There was less awareness around when to involve PC services, as there were mixed answers to whether PC is only needed if someone is dying from an illness. Two-thirds of participants who reported being knowledgeable of PC answered at least 75% of questions correctly. Conclusion Participants were quite aware and knowledgeable of PC but would benefit from education about the PC role in both chronic disease and EOL management. Self-reported knowledge was a fairly reliable indicator of true knowledge in this study.