Effectiveness of a teaching programme in pain and symptom management for junior house officers

The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the level of knowledge with respect to pain and symptom management among doctors in their first year after graduation and (ii) to measure the impact of a structured teaching programme on their level of knowledge. All 34 newly qualified junior house off...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Supportive care in cancer 2001-11, Vol.9 (8), p.606-610
Main Authors: TIERNAN, Eoin, KEARNEY, Michael, LYNCH, Ann Marie, HOLLAND, Noreen, PYNE, Phil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Education, Medical, Graduate
Hospice care
Humans
Medical sciences
Medical Staff, Hospital - education
Pain
Pain Management
Physicians
Program Evaluation
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Surveys and Questionnaires
Teaching - methods
Teaching. Deontology. Ethics. Legislation
Terminal Care
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Summary:The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the level of knowledge with respect to pain and symptom management among doctors in their first year after graduation and (ii) to measure the impact of a structured teaching programme on their level of knowledge. All 34 newly qualified junior house officers in one teaching hospital were offered a six-session teaching programme in pain and symptom management. A multiple-choice questionnaire was used to assess their level of knowledge at the beginning and at the end of a 6-month period over which the teaching sessions took place. Attendance at and satisfaction with the programme were high. There was a significant improvement in the level of knowledge at the end of the programme, with the greatest improvement in those who attended most sessions. The low scores recorded for the questionnaire administered before the teaching programme suggest that there is a critical need for improved education in palliative care amongst newly qualified doctors. We have shown that a simple in-service case-based teaching programme can meet this need effectively.
ISSN:0941-4355
1433-7339
DOI:10.1007/s005200100269