Table 2.
Distribution of responses to the questionnaire.
| Nurse | Student | Student | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | (1st and 2nd) | (3rd and 4th) | n (%) | p-Value | |
| n (%) | n (%) | ||||
| Regarding nutrition, do you believe that is important in palliative care? | 0.004* | ||||
| YES | 236 (61.6%) | 47 (83.9%) | 54 (75.0%) | 337 (65.9%) | |
| Depending on health condition | 132 (34.5%) | 7 (12.5%) | 15 (20.8%) | 154 (30.1%) | |
| Not important, plays a secondary role | 15 (3.9%) | 2 (3.6%) | 3 (4.2%) | 20 (3.9%) | |
| Who demand the starting or maintenance of artificial nutrition and hydration in palliative care? | <0.001** | ||||
| Patients | 10 (2.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | 11 (2.1%) | |
| Relatives/carers | 129 (33.7%) | 2 (3.6%) | 28 (38.9%) | 159 (31.1%) | |
| Nurses | 18 (4.7%) | 4 (7.1%) | 5 (6.9%) | 27 (5.3%) | |
| All of them | 211 (55.1%) | 47 (83.9%) | 37 (51.4%) | 295 (57.7%) | |
| Not demanded by any of them | 15 (3.9%) | 3 (5.4%) | 1 (1.4%) | 19 (3.7%) | |
| Which essential aspect should be valued before starting enteral feeding in these patients? Mark the most important one: | 0.008* | ||||
| Autonomy of the patient | 68(17.8%) | 16 (28.6%) | 16(22.2%) | 100 (19.5%) | |
| Symptoms control | 83(21.7%) | 4 (7.1%) | 22(30.6%) | 109 (21.3%) | |
| Life expectancy | 90(23.5%) | 11(19.6%) | 9 (12.5%) | 110 (21.5%) | |
| Nutritional condition | 126 (33.9%) | 25(44.6%) | 24 (33.3%) | 175 (34.3%) | |
| Others | 16 (4.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | 17 (3.3%) | |
| Would you initiate enteral feeding in patients with palliative care with a life expectancy > than 6 months? | 0.387 | ||||
| YES | 345 (90.1%) | 48 (85.7%) | 67 (93.1%) | 460 (90.0%) | |
| NO | 38 (9.9%) | 8 (14.3%) | 5 (6.9%) | 51 (10.0%) | |
| Would you initiate enteral feeding in patients with palliative care with a life expectancy between 1 to 6 months? | 0.237 | ||||
| YES | 307 (80.2%) | 50 (89.3%) | 60 (83.3%) | 417 (81.6%) | |
| NO | 76 (19.8%) | 6 (10.7%) | 12 (16.7%) | 94 (18.4%) | |
| Would you initiate enteral feeding in patients with palliative care with a life expectancy < than 1 month? | 0.044* | ||||
| YES | 232 (60.6%) | 29 (51.8%) | 39 (54.2%) | 217 (42.5%) | |
| NO | 151 (39.4%) | 27 (48.2%) | 33 (45.8%) | 294 (57.5%) | |
| Do you believe that not nourishing a patient in their last days phase, using enteral nutrition by tube, is something negative? | <0.001** | ||||
| YES | 87(22.7%) | 33 (59.0%) | 29 (40.3%) | 149 (29.2%) | |
| In these patients is not important to nourish | 53(13.8%) | 5 (8.9%) | 3 (4.29%) | 61 (11.9%) | |
| NO | 243 (63.4%) | 18 (32.1%) | 40 (55.6%) | 301 (58.9%) | |
| In case of enteral feeding by NG tube, should be suspended in patients in last days phase? | 0.002* | ||||
| YES | 287 (74.9%) | 31 (55.4%) | 45 (62.5%) | 363 (71.0%) | |
| NO | 96 (25.1%) | 25 (44.6%) | 27 (37.5%) | 148 (29.0%) | |
| Patient’s autonomy should be respected in the decision of continuing or not with enteral feeding by tube? | 0.068 | ||||
| YES | 372 (97.1%) | 51 (91.9%) | 68 (94.4%) | 491 (96.1) | |
| NO | 11 (2.9%) | 5 (8.9%) | 4 (5.6%) | 20 (3.9) |
p-value: *0.05; **0.001.