Using a Pilot Curriculum in Geriatric Palliative Care to Improve Communication Skills Among Medical Students

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an elective geriatric palliative care course on medical students' attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors regarding communication with terminally ill patients. Surveys were administered at the beginning and end of the elective. Despite a signifi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of hospice & palliative medicine 2007-04, Vol.24 (2), p.131-136
Main Authors: Sanchez-Reilly, Sandra E., Wittenberg-Lyles, Elaine M., Villagran, Melinda M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Curriculum
Education, Medical
Female
Geriatrics - education
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Male
Nursing
Palliative Care
Physician-Patient Relations
Pilot Projects
Texas
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an elective geriatric palliative care course on medical students' attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors regarding communication with terminally ill patients. Surveys were administered at the beginning and end of the elective. Despite a significant increase in knowledge about geriatric and palliative medicine (F = 24.80; P < .001), there were no significant changes in students' self-reported behaviors when applying curriculum-based communication strategies. However, the qualitative analysis of open-ended questions showed that the curriculum intervention did result in an improvement in empowering message strategies for breaking bad news. The evaluation of the end-of-life curriculum needs to exceed the measurement of attitudes and knowledge and include behavioral assessment of end-of-life communication skills.
ISSN:1049-9091
1938-2715
DOI:10.1177/1049909106297071