[« Living facing death' : improving Lausanne's medical students » attitude toward end-of-life issues]

The optional course « Living facing death » is the result of an innovative educational approach jointly developed by CHUV's Palliative Care Service, Lausanne's School of Medicine, Medical Ethics Unit and the students' association « Doctors & Death ». It is intended for 3rd and 4th grade medical students and was inspired by previous experiences conducted at Harvard Medical School. Its primary objective is to help students to « take some distances ». A mixed quantitative/qualitative satisfaction questionnaire was administered to all participating students at the completion of the course. It confirms experiential knowledge is a valuable teaching tool to improve medical students' attitude toward end-of-life issues.