Improved competence after a palliative care course for internal medicine residents (original) (raw)
Related papers
BMC Palliative Care
Background: The need for palliative care is increasing. Since almost every junior doctor will come across palliative care patients, it is important to include palliative care in the undergraduate curriculum. The objective of this research is to gather undergraduate students' views on palliative care in terms of its importance, their confidence in and knowledge of the domain. Methods: Final-year medical students at four Dutch medical faculties were surveyed. The questionnaire measured their views on the education they had received, their self-reported confidence in dealing with palliative care patients and their knowledge of palliative care. Results: Two hundred twenty-two medical students participated in this study. Students considered palliative care education relevant, especially training in patient-oriented care and communication with the patient. Students felt that several topics were inadequately covered in the curriculum. Overall, the students did not feel confident in providing palliative care (59.6%), especially in dealing with the spiritual aspect of palliative care (77%). The knowledge test shows that only 48% of the students answered more than half of the questions correctly. Conclusion: The students in this study are nearly junior doctors who will soon have to care for palliative patients. Although they think that palliative care is important, in their opinion the curriculum did not cover many important aspects, a perception that is also in line with their lack of confidence and knowledge in this domain. Therefore, it is important to improve palliative care education in the medical curriculum.
Competence in palliative and end of life care - general surgery and family medicine residencies
Advances in Palliative Medicine, 2010
Background: Palliative care and end of life care is being emphasized ever more in everyday practice of medicine. Many of the specialty boards either recommend or require education in these aspects of care of patients during residency. The specific strengths and weakness of a given residency might help tailor a curriculum that is relevant and addresses the perceived strengths and weakness of the residents in that specialty. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare general surgery residents' self-perceived attitudes, confidence, and concerns, as it relates to effectively practicing palliative and end of life care, to family medicine residents. Material and methods: The Attitudes Toward Death and Palliative Medicine Comfort and Confidence Surveys were used to assess self-perceived competence with palliative medicine. Surgery and family medicine residents in a major University medical center were surveyed. Data was analyzed with t-tests for independent measures. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. Results: University of Florida surgery residents assessed their attitudes about dealing with dying patients as significantly more positive (t = 2.25, df = 38, p = 0.03) and their level of confidence in providing palliative care as significantly higher (t = 2.60, df = 30, p = 0.01) than family medicine residents. Surgery residents expressed similar concerns about end-of-life issues (t = 0.14, df = 38, p = 0.89) as family medicine residents. Conclusions: Both similarities and differences existed in the self-perceptions of surgery and family medicine residents about palliation and end of life issues. Recognizing the importance of palliation as a competency, curriculum can be tailored to meet the specific needs of a residency program as well as the establishment of specific benchmarks that all training programs must achieve.
Evaluation of Palliative Care Education in the Specialist Training Programme in Family Medicine
Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the teaching in palliative care (PC) provided during the Specialist Training Programme in Family Medicine (STPFM) in Malta. Methodology: A questionnaire was used, based on two other validated questionnaires used in a similar population. Fifteen topics commonly encountered in PC were analysed. Results: Twenty-two (74.4%) trainees returned the questionnaire. All trainees received exposure to palliative care patients, but only 5 (22.7%) felt involved in their care and only 6 (27.3%) ever used a syringe driver. Most PC teaching in the STPFM was formal in nature. Trainees felt that palliative care subjects were covered well in the STPFM, but non-medical areas received lower scores. Trainees’ confidence closely mirrored the scores for subject coverage. The Half-Day Release Programmes were the most useful palliative care teaching resource. A correct answer for the question on pain management was obtained by 63.3% of trainees and 23.7% got a correct answer for the question on the use of a syringe driver. Concerns on managing dying patients in the community were raised by 40.9% of trainees. Trainees judged overall positively their STPFM. Conclusion: GP trainees need to be trained in PC in a manner that adequately addresses their future caseload. Changes need to be made in the PC teaching within the STPFM to address areas such as ethical issues in end-of-life; using a syringe driver; self- care and managing patients in the community.
Developing competency among interns in palliative care of critically ill patients
Palliative Medicine in Practice
Background: Palliative care has become increasingly important in the last decades with rise in needy patients and subsequent shortage of health care professional serving palliative care, making it a global public health concern. Patients and methods: Educational interventional study conducted in Department of Anaesthesiology of a tertiary care teaching institute. Pre-post test by standardized validated multiple choice questions for assessment of knowledge and awareness was conducted before and after the session. Interactive didactic lectures integrated with faculty narrative from Department of Palliative Care, demonstration among small groups, and live demonstration on patients under aegis of Anaesthesia Department were given after pre-test. Feedback questionnaire in the form of Likert's scale for assessment of students' satisfaction and attitude was done at end of session. Results: Fifty (50) interns participated in the study. Out of 50, 28 (56%) were male and 22 (44%) were female interns. Mean pre-test score was 8.82 ± 2.13 (range 4-12) out of total 20. Mean post-test score was 14.44 ± 1.72 (range 11-17). The pre and post test results difference was significant (p < 0.0001). Percentage gain in knowledge and awareness was 63.95%. Conclusions: Most professionals will need basic skills of various management modalities in supportive therapy in near future to fully fill demand of palliative care which is going to be doubled within next few decades so the need for conducting more such sessions regularly amongst young budding doctors including interns at very early stage to develop competency for palliative care was observed.
2020
Introduction: It is necessary to determine which competencies in Palliative Care (PC) have been acquired and which ones need to be improved. The aim was to develop and validate an instrument to assess the acquisition of competencies in PC care among medical students denominated Palliative Competency Tool (Pallicomp).Materials and methods: It were consisted of developing statements based on the competencies as described by the European Association for Palliative Care. The content was validated by experts, respecting the Delphi methodology. The instrument was applied to a group of medical students (n=71) enrolled at the final of 8th semester and statically validated.Results: Of the 30 questions developed, 24 were refined and approved by experts. The tool was applied to 71 medical students, only 12.7% had excellent performance and four out of ten competencies were underperformed. The statistical validation consisted of Bartlett's sphericity test, which showed adequate correlation f...
Journal of Cancer Education, 2011
To graduate internal medicine residents with basic competency in palliative care, we employ a two-pronged strategy targeted at both residents and attending physicians as learners. The first prong provides a knowledge foundation using web-based learning programs designed specifically for residents and clinical faculty members. The second prong is assessment of resident competency in key palliative care domains by faculty members using direct observation during clinical rotations. The faculty training program contains Competency Assessment Tools addressing 19 topics distributed amongst four broad palliative care domains designed to assist faculty members in making the clinical competency assessments. Residents are required to complete their web-based training by the end of their internship year; they must demonstrate competency in one skill from each of the four broad palliative care domains prior to graduation. Resident and faculty evaluation of the training programs is favorable. Outcome-based measures are planned to evaluate long-term program effectiveness.
Perception of Palliative Care among Medical Students in a Teaching Hospital
Journal of Nepal Medical Association
Introduction: Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. Palliative care must be a part of every medical personnel’s practice. But still medical education curriculums have not included palliative care in its syllabus, sufficiently due to which most of the health professional are not aware about this specialty. The purpose of this study is to find out the perception of the medical students in palliative care in a teaching hospital. Methods: A descriptive study was done among 270 undergraduate medical students studying in Institute of Medicine using a self structured pretested questionnaire. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed by using SPSS 21. Results: Of the total 270 undergraduate medical students only 152 has heard the word “palliative care”. Only 84 students know, palliative care can be provided early in the life threatening illness. Total 80 students kn...
Education and training in palliative care
The Medical journal of Australia, 2003
The growing demand for palliative care means that health professionals are expected to provide palliative care as a core part of their practice. Training in the practice of palliative care is a recent addition to undergraduate and postgraduate medical and other healthcare curricula, and several initiatives are under way to promote palliative care principles and practice in healthcare training. The challenge that we all face is how to develop these skills in the face of multiple demands on our time. Strategies for improving palliative care education include a national undergraduate curriculum for palliative care, expanded training opportunities for generalist practitioners, and further recognition for the role of practitioners of specialist palliative care and associated curriculum development.