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Table 2 Performance of the respondents towards the ethics knowledge questions (n = 59), 2021

From: Ethics knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of tertiary care pediatricians in Ethiopia

Knowledge questions

Proportion of physicians who answered correctly N (%)

Regarding the decision to resuscitate at threshold of viability

•The decision to resuscitate should alter in the delivery room and in the perinatal period if the neonates condition at birth is much different than was expected prenatally

42 (71.2)

•The decision to resuscitate when born at the threshold of viability has to involve consultation with the hospital legal team

9 (32.2)

•The decision to resuscitate when born at the threshold of viability should generally involve consultation with colleagues

17 (28.8)

Regarding Withholding and withdrawing fluids and nutrition

•Withholding and withdrawing of medically provided fluids and nutrition can be done for the same reasons

29 (49.2)

•There is fundamental ethical distinction between deciding not to start a life sustaining treatment and deciding to stop a life sustaining treatment that has already been started

10 (17.0)

Regarding Life sustaining treatment

•Mature minor’s refusal for further life sustaining medical treatment ought to be respected

16 (27.1)

•Provide comfort by giving large doses of analgesics and sedatives even if they cause the patient to become obtunded

24 (40.7)

•Enteral nutrition can be ethically withdrawn from a patient who is in a vegetative state

13 (22.0)

•The physician is ethically justified to provide care even if the parents of 4 month old infant refuse to consent to vaccinate their child

19 (32.2)