Evaluation of the knowledge of intensive care doctors in Teresina concerning brain death

Abstract

A descriptive study was carried out based on a questionnaire answered by 90 doctors working in the intensive care units of Teresina, Piaui, Brazil. The aim of the study was to evaluate intensive care knowledge on brain death and correlate it with time spent working in the medical profession, time spent working in intensive care units, type of unit in which the medical professional spent their Medical Residency course and whether the medical professional had the title of specialist in Intensive Care. The majority of participants demonstrated
knowledge of the definition of brain death, and awareness was greater among those who had spent less time working in the medical profession. They demonstrated knowledge of the requirement for additional tests to
diagnose brain death and described themselves as confident or very confident when explaining brain death to the relatives of patients. The doctors, in general, had difficulties in determining the legal time of death of patients with brain death who were classed as organ donors.