Table 2.

Response of medical students to PPC statements (N = 326).

Items	True		Not Know		False
	Count	%	Count	%	Count	%
1Palliative care requires that a patient is actively dying	10	3%	35	10.7%	281	86%
2A patient who has a DNR order should be excluded from receiving acute treatment in the form of vasopressors or mechanical ventilation	64	20%	48	14.7%	214	66%
3Even if a child is actively dying, hope should never be discarded	56	17%	71	21.8%	199	61%
4Parents or guardians should have a voice in determining the palliative care options for their child	24	7%	71	21.8%	231	71%
5A hospital-wide palliative care team would be acceptable in providing family and staff support services in pediatric unit or the PICU.	192	59%	83	25.5%	51	16%
6An ethical dilemma that arises with acute therapeutic care is whether to treat a secondary problem such as an infection when death is imminent	138	42%	75	23.0%	113	35%
7Withholding feedings is ethically acceptable for a dying child, even if the child does not have a DNR order	141	43%	97	29.8%	88	27%
8Withdrawing support is considered the same as withholding support for a dying child.	57	17%	54	16.6%	215	66%
9It is easier to care for a dying child when parents and family are not present at the bedside.	183	56%	75	23.0%	68	21%
10A most important nursing function for the dying child is to be ‘‘present’’ for the family.	21	6%	60	18.4%	245	75%
11Blood product transfusions are acceptable palliative care options	44	13%	83	25.5%	199	61%
12Palliative and EOL services should provide only pain and comfort measures	20	6%	19	5.8%	287	88%
13Children who are actively dying should not be readmitted to the hospital for respiratory or nutritional support	115	35%	82	25.2%	129	40%
14A DNR order is required for children admitted to palliative programs	107	33%	59	18.1%	160	49%
15If inadequate pain control is determined in a dying child and there are no signs of toxicity, the dose of narcotic should be increased by 50%	99	30%	70	21.5%	157	48%
16Taking a photograph of a child after death is an acceptable practice despite the culture or religious background	4	1%	24	7.4%	298	91%
17Inadequate pain control hastens death in multiple ways, including increasing physiological stress, decreasing immune-competency, and increasing the risk of pneumonia and thrombo-embolism.	259	79%	50	15.3%	17	5%
18If a dying child on a morphine drip experiences hallucinations and irritability, the best management would be to change to another drug such as hydromorphone	13	4%	14	4.3%	299	92%
19Research has supported the fact that loss of a child results in an increase in divorce and separation of the parents	142	44%	90	27.6%	94	29%
20Obtaining training in palliative care will support my ability to provide EOL care for children	17	5%	65	19.9%	244	75%