Emergency Providers' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Hospice and Palliative Care: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Across 35 Emergency Departments in the United States.

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Emergency providers' knowledge and attitudes may be a barrier to adopting hospice and palliative care practice. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To assess provider characteristics associated with knowledge and attitudes toward hospice and palliative care (KAHP). <b><i>Design:</i></b> Cross-sectional analysis. <b><i>Setting/Subjects:</i></b> Emergency physicians, advanced practice providers (APPs), and nurses from 35 U.S. emergency departments (EDs) enrolled in a provider-focused intervention. <b><i>Measurement:</i></b> The outcome measures were the total and subscale scores of the KAHP scale. The predictor variables were age, sex, race/ethnicity, and years of practice. We reported the observed association using a linear mixed-effects regression model. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The mean KAHP score, rated from 10 to 50, was 36. Increased years of practice were associated with increased mean self-reported knowledge and attitudes scores among APPs and nurses. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Understanding the provider characteristics associated with hospice and palliative care adoption in the ED may inform the development of interventions for specific providers. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03424109).