Abstract

PEREIRA JIMENEZ, Isel; SARDINAS MONTES DE OCA, Odalys; CERVERA ESTRADA, Lex  and  RANGEL MAYOR, Luis. Some ethic problems in the management of the severely ill patient in primary care. AMC [online]. 2000, vol.4, n.3. ISSN 1025-0255.

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed for knowing some ethical problems in the management of severely ill patients in the Center Polyclinic of Camaguey City within the months of July-August 1998. A sample of 30 family physicians was selected, they were applied a survey which covered variables such as knowledge of the ethical principles and management of the severely ill patient and his family. Data obtained were automatically processed. It was found that 50% of doctors did not know anything about ethical principles, 100% knew that cancer and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system cause final-stage illness, 33, 33% revealed all concerning the disease and patients. Concluding, the great majority of doctors were not professionally prepared with the ethical knowledges about the management of the severely ill patients and they do not want to know the truth if they would be affected by a final-stage disease.

Keywords : CROSS SECTIONAL STUDIES; EPIDEMIOLOGY DESCRIPTIVE; ETHICS, MEDICAL; TERMINALLY ILL; PRIMARY HEALTH CARE.

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