[Palliative Care in Undergraduate Medical Education:Experiences in Developed Countries and Regions]

Palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for patients and families facing life-threatening illness. Since its introduction in China,palliative care has developed rapidly with greater numbers of elderly adults and increasing chronic disease. However,palliative care education lags behind somehow,especially for undergraduate medical students. This article summarizes the history and status quo of palliative care education for undergraduate medical students in countries and regions including the United Kindom,the United States,Japan,and Taiwan Province,with an attempt to further promote the palliative care education for medical students in mainland China.