title: The Attitudes of Indian Palliative-care Nurses and Physicians to Pain Control and Palliative Sedation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We wanted to assess Indian palliative-care nurses and physicians' attitudes toward pain control and palliative sedation.
  
  
  METHODS
  From May to September 2008, we interviewed 14 physicians and 13 nurses working in different palliative-care programs in New Delhi, using a semi-structured questionnaire, and following grounded-theory methodology (Glaser and Strauss).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The interviewees did not consider administration of painkillers in large doses an ethical problem, provided the pain killers are properly titrated. Mild palliative sedation was considered acceptable. The interviewees disagreed whether palliative sedation can also be deep and continuous. Arguments mentioned against deep continuous palliative sedation were the conviction that it may cause unacceptable side effects, and impedes basic daily activities and social contacts. A few interviewees said that palliative sedation may hasten death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to fears and doubts regarding deep continuous palliative sedation, it may sometimes be too easily discarded as a treatment option for refractory symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Religion and World View (Catholic University Leuven), Sint-Michielsstraat 4 - Bus 3101, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Joris
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gielen
authors.forename: Harmala
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Ambika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rajvanshi
authors.forename: Sushma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhatnagar
authors.forename: Seema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Arvind K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Chaturvedi
authors.forename: Stef Van
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: den Branden
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Broeckaert