Table 2.

Descriptive statistics of the composite scores of the individual items of the Italian Pediatric MDS-R.

Item	Observed Range	Mean	Standard Deviation	Median	IQR
1. Witness healthcare providers giving “false hope” to parents.	0–16	5.44	4.49	4	6
2. Follow the family’s wishes to continue life support even though I believe that it is not in the best interest of the child.	0–16	6.88	5.01	6	9
3. Initiate extensive life-saving actions when I think that they only prolong death.	0–16	7.14	4.88	6	9
4. Follow the family’s request not to discuss death with a dying child who asks about dying.	0–16	2.23	3.58	0	4
5. Feel pressure from others to order what I consider to be unnecessary tests and treatments.	0–16	5.37	4.55	4	6
6. Continue to participate in care for a hopelessly ill child who is being sustained on a ventilator when no one will make a decision to withdraw support.	0–16	6.12	5.21	6	8
7. Avoid taking action when I learn that a physician or nurse colleague has made a medical error and does not report it.	0–16	2.66	3.38	2	4
8. Work with a physician or a nurse who, in my opinion, is providing incompetent care.	0–16	4.35	3.91	4	6
9. Increase the dose of sedatives/opiates for an unconscious child that I believe could hasten the child’s death.	0–16	1.73	2.74	0	3
10. Take no action about an observed ethical issue because the	0–16	2.36	3.71	0	4
involved staff members or someone in a position of authority requested that I do nothing.
11. Follow the family’s wishes for the child’s care when I do not agree with them but do so because of fears of a lawsuit.	0–16	3.57	4.6	2	6
12. Watch patient care suffer because of a lack of provider continuity.	0–16	4	4.52	3	8
13. Witness diminished patient care quality due to poor team communication.	0–16	5.55	4.55	4	5
14. Ignore situations in which parents have not been given adequate information to ensure informed consent.	0–16	2.36	3.28	0	4