Palliative care education in US medical schools

Abstract

Given the reality of overstrained medical school curricula, developmentally appropriate, basic palliative care competencies should be defined and integrated into each year of the medical school curriculum, taking care to circumvent the twin threats of curricular overload and educational abandonment.

End-of-Life Issues in UK Medical Schools

“…Overall, most US medical schools also favor integrating EOL issues throughout the program in existing courses or clerkships, rather than creating a new course devoted strictly to this subject matter. 13 Thus, United Kingdom medical schools tend to be following the recommendation of Horowitz and colleagues 10 to integrate these offerings into existing courses.…”

“…Palliative care tends to be associated with EOL issues, yet a move is on, especially in the United Kingdom, to not restrict palliative care to EOL but to endorse it as integral to the care of all seriously ill patients. 10 The first author of this article noted such an emphasis back in 1990 when interviewing Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement.…”

“…9 With the United Kingdom as one of the leaders in the world in palliative care and EOL issues, along with Canada and Australia, the United States, and most of Western Europe, the existence of similar programs in other parts of the world is very idiosyncratic. 10 Thus, the authors sought to determine the current status of UK medical schools' EOL offerings to ascertain changes, if any, over time.…”

Curricular Innovations for Medical Students in Palliative and End-of-Life Care: A Systematic Review and Assessment of Study Quality

“…Given that medical schools already suffer from overstrained curricula, the authors advocate integrating developmentally appropriate, basic palliative care competencies into each year of the medical school curriculum to avoid both neglect of the topic and educational overload. 4 A recent national survey of palliative care experts arrived at a proposed set of competencies for medical students. 5 As palliative care educators advocate for scarce curricular time and select educational methods, it is imperative to identify rigorously tested curricula that can be used.…”

A Pilot Study on Undergraduate Palliative Care Education – A Study on Changes in Knowledge, Attitudes and Self-Perception

“…For example, fourth year students' attitudes were investigated after a two-week palliative care course and compared with an intensive four-week course [31]. Selfefficacy was assessed using the Self-efficacy in Palliative Care Scale, and attitudes towards palliative care and caring for dying patients were measured by means of the Thanatophobia Scale.…”