Knowledge, Attitudes and Expectations of Physicians with Respect to Palliative Care in Ecuador: A Qualitative Study.

The worldwide need for palliative care is high, especially in mid- income countries like Ecuador, where the percentage of patients receiving such care is very small due to the scarcity of infrastructure and specialized personnel and to the unequal distribution in the country. The objective of this study is to explore the knowledge, attitudes and expectations related to palliative care of the physicians in Ecuador. A qualitative study based on 28 semi-structured interviews, from March 2014 to November 2016, with physicians working in four cities in Ecuador recruited through the snowball technique.