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Communication about the desire to die: Development and evaluation of a first needs-oriented training concept - A
Gerrit Frerich1, Vanessa Romotzky1, Maren Galushko1
1Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Department of Palliative Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Palliative & Supportive Care
|March 6, 2020
Summary
Health professionals
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Medical Education
- Communication Skills
Background:
- Patient's desire to die (DD) is often undiscussed in palliative care (PC).
- Health professionals (HPs) experience uncertainty when addressing DD.
- This uncertainty hinders open communication regarding end-of-life wishes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a training program for HPs.
- To enhance HPs' self-confidence in responding to patient's DD.
- To assess the feasibility of such a training approach.
Main Methods:
- A two-day multidisciplinary training was designed using focus groups and literature.
- Standardized surveys measured self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and attitudes at three time points.
- Participant feedback was collected and analyzed qualitatively.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements in HPs' self-confidence in communicating about DD were observed post-training.
- Self-confidence scores increased from baseline and were partially maintained at 3-month follow-up.
- Participants highly valued the training, particularly the role-play and increased awareness of DD.
Conclusions:
- The developed training effectively addresses a need in palliative care.
- The training is perceived as valuable by health professionals.
- Further research should include validated instruments, larger and diverse groups, and control conditions.