Awareness and ethical views regarding life support among doctors working in tertiary care facilities of Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To assess the knowledge of Life Support (LS) among doctors and to determine their ethical beliefs for the continuation or termination of Basic and Advanced Life Support services. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done from March to June 2009 that involved 110 doctors of three teaching Hospitals in Karachi (Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Aga Khan University and Ziauddin University hospitals). All the subjects were selected by random sampling and were then analysed on the basis of self-administered questionnaires. Results: Out of the 110 doctors who took the survey, 109 (99%) had heard of Life Support. In the breakdown of doctors, 1 out of the 18 consultants (5.6%), 5 of 45 PGs (11%) and 2 out of 47 House Officers (4%) who took part in this study were unable to correctly identify the right definition of LS. Out of the total number ( n=110) of doctors, 94 (85%) said they would use Life Support in their patients and 41(43%) of them thought life support was the only way the doctor can "do what he is supposed to do i.e. save a life", while the other reason for using LS was "Religiously, the right way". Conclusion: LS is still a highly sensitive subject that needs still more awareness in Karachi, Pakistan. It was surprising to find out that the knowledge of LS by residents, postgraduates and even consultants was not as high as expected. Making Basic Life Support as a part of the undergraduate course might help in clarifying the discrepancies present in the knowledge of Life Support.