Development of student competencies for palliative care

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Palliative Care
• Healthcare Training

Background:

• Palliative care education is crucial for healthcare students.
• Identifying specific learning needs ensures targeted training.
• Innovative strategies are needed to enhance palliative care competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify palliative care learning needs among healthcare students.
• To evaluate the acceptability of the CUIDAR-PALIAR learning strategy.
• To assess the impact of CUIDAR-PALIAR on students' palliative care competencies.

Main Methods:

• A single-group mixed methods design was employed.
• Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to assess learning needs and competencies.
• Ninety undergraduate students participated in the CUIDAR-PALIAR intervention.

Main Results:

• Students' key learning needs include: approaches to death and loss, patient-family interventions, palliative care context understanding, pain/symptom management, and therapeutic communication.
• The CUIDAR-PALIAR strategy demonstrated high student acceptance.
• Statistically significant increases in palliative care competencies were observed post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• The CUIDAR-PALIAR strategy is a well-accepted and effective tool for enhancing palliative care competencies in undergraduate students.
• Preliminary findings support the potential of CUIDAR-PALIAR for future palliative care education interventions.
• Addressing identified learning needs through innovative strategies like CUIDAR-PALIAR is vital for improving end-of-life care education.