Abstract
BackgroundOne of the most difficult and stressful tasks faced by health science students is having to cope with death and dying due to the emotional burden of the same. Furthermore, the moral, ethical and professional values of future health professionals are influenced by the cultures where they live.PurposeThis study sought to compare and analyze the perception on end of life among a sample of health science students in Spain and Bolivia.MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional and multi-centric study. The total sample (548 students) was comprised of three groups: medical, nursing and physiotherapy students, of whom 245 were from Bolivia, and 303 were Spanish students. The measurement instruments used were the Bugen’s Coping with Death Scale and the Death Self-Efficacy Scale by Robbins.ResultsNo statistically significant differences were observed between Spanish and Bolivian students (t (546) = − 0.248, p = 0.804) using the Bugen scale. This implies that there are no differences between the perception of both groups of students and that both groups use similar strategies to cope with death. Additionally, the beliefs and attitudes of both groups were similar, with Bolivian students presenting a trend towards improved scores. No differences were found between Spain and Bolivia in the results obtained on the Robbins scale, with students from both countries displaying similar skills and capabilities for facing death.ConclusionsThe beliefs on death of health science students from Spain and Bolivia were not affected by the respective cultures, type of degree studied, students’ age, or the country of origin, however, we found that students in Bolivia value death as something more natural than their Spanish counterparts.Practice implicationsTo appropriately prepare students for this topic, education on coping with death and dying must be included within the university curriculum.Trial registration2016DEC018.
Highlights
One of the most difficult and stressful tasks faced by health science students is having to cope with death and dying due to the emotional burden of the same
The beliefs on death of health science students from Spain and Bolivia were not affected by the respective cultures, type of degree studied, students’ age, or the country of origin, we found that students in Bolivia value death as something more natural than their Spanish counterparts
Practice implications: To appropriately prepare students for this topic, education on coping with death and dying must be included within the university curriculum
Summary
One of the most difficult and stressful tasks faced by health science students is having to cope with death and dying due to the emotional burden of the same. Coping with death and the end of life-death process is one of the most difficult and stressful tasks faced by health science students [1, 2]. Professionals must deal with the burden of communicating bad news to the family and the patient throughout the end-of-life process. Physicians professionals are best prepared for the management of patient death [3, 4]. This is not always the case, as frequently reflected in the limited direct care provided to patients by their physicians. Physiotherapists and allied health professionals deal with these patients, accompanying them on many occasions until the end of their lives by providing treatment and care [5]
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