緣由及目的：台灣每年約四萬名病患死於癌症，所以安寧療護更顯重要。本研究以瞭解醫院醫師及護理人員對於安寧療護之態度，作為未來院內教育訓練課程參考之用。研究設計：以中部某醫學中心之院內醫師與護士作為研究對象，問卷設計部分分為三大項目：第一是研究受訪者對安寧療護的認知，第二是瞭解受訪者對於安寧療護之態度，第三是受訪者之基本背景資料。結果：醫學專家對於安寧緩和醫療的態度，可以影響病患接下來的臨終照護方向，包括適當的安寧緩和醫療或是安寧緩和轉介醫療等。作者研究中山醫學中心的醫師與護士對於安寧緩和醫療的知識與態度的研究。結果顯示對於末期病患的病情告知上，86.8%的護士與78.0%的醫師持贊成的意見(P<0.05)。對於是否將末期病患的安寧緩和醫療費用納入全民健保範圍，有95.0%的護士與88.5%的醫師都持贊成意見。至於是否該將生死學納入正式醫學教育，有90.2%的護士與88.5%的醫師贊成。而對於是否將安寧緩和醫療教育列入醫學院的正式課程，有95.2%護士與89.1%的醫師贊成(P<0.05)。至於是否願意擔任安寧緩和醫療志工人員，只有約55.1%的護士與56.5%的醫師願意。而將來是否考慮擔任安寧緩和醫療之醫護人員，只有43.7%的護士與45.5%的醫師有此意願。對於當安寧緩和醫療志工意願不高的原因，可能是因為安寧緩和醫療志工所需花費的時間較多的緣故。而對於成為安寧療護之醫護人員的意願不高的原因，除牽涉到從事醫療的原本志趣外，也跟社會文化環境的影響有關，特別是在一個對於死亡有著許多禁忌的社會。
nfluences of self-rated knowledge and attitudes among physicians and nurses regarding hospice palliative care were assessed in a central Taiwan medical center. More than 85% of nurses favored disclosing prognoses to terminally ill patients, compared with 78% of physicians (P<0.05). More than 95% of nurses favored payment for hospice care by National Health Insurance, compared with 88.5% of physicians (P<0.05). More than 95% of nurses favored institutionalizing formal hospice palliative care curricula in medical schools (P<0.05). Only 55.1% of nurses and 56.5% of physicians were willing to volunteer for hospice palliative care, possibly due to their busy life styles or because terminally ill patients and their families require more time and energy than other patients. Only 43.7% of nurses and 45.5% of physicians were willing to care for terminally ill patients, perhaps because Taiwanese are traditionally unwilling to deal with anything concerned with or near death.
