[Undergraduate palliative care teaching in times of COVID-19]

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic classroom teaching was largely discontinued at all German medical faculties in the summer semester (SS) 2020. This also affected undergraduate education in palliative care, which is established with an average of 22 teaching units. Teachers were asked to rapidly develop digital teaching and assessment tools.

The aim of this survey was to map the teaching situation in QB13 palliative medicine in SS 2020 under the influence of COVID-19 and from this to derive the need for networking and support for the coming semesters.

The key persons involved in palliative care education in all 41 medical faculties in Germany were identified and invited by the coordination office of the German Society for Palliative Medicine (DGP) to participate in an online survey using SurveyMonkey®. The questionnaire consisted of 15 items dealing with the evaluation of the past semester and the need for support for the coming semester.

Out of 41 contacted teachers 16 participated in the survey. Most of them described the challenge of teaching in SS 2020 as successful. Support from the faculties was provided primarily in the form of digital teaching structures. A digital teaching design is also planned for the coming semester. Power point slides with sound and the conference tool Zoom® are often used.

The design of examinations in SS 2020 is rated worse in the self-evaluation than the teaching design. Multiple choice questions were often used in classroom examinations. Lecturers would like the DGP to create and collect teaching and assessment materials centrally.