Current status of academic palliative medicine in Poland: a nationwide study

To assess the current status of palliative medicine (PM) education in medical students in Poland.

Data on PM teaching were obtained from a 16-item questionnaire sent to the heads of PM and palliative care (PC) departments at universities or university authorities. In cases in which there was no PM or PC department, the questionnaire was sent to authorities of a given University.

Eleven PM and PC departments were included in the analysis; 7 at the medical universities, and four at collegium medicum at universities. Among these there were two chairs of PM (at the Medical University of Poznań and the Collegium Medicum at the University of Zielona Góra) and one chair of PC (in Bydgoszcz). Most of the Departments were part of faculties of medicine, and a minority were part of faculties of health sciences. There were no PM or PC departments at 2 medical universities, three at collegium medicum at universities, and 6 at faculties of medicine; two at public universities and 4 at non-public universities. All programs of PM teaching included the philosophy of PC, and pain management. The majority included management of other symptoms, emergencies, communication, ethical issues and psychological issues in PC. Of 12 programs, 9 included practical (bedside) teaching. The numbers of hours allocated to PM ranged from 15 to 45 (median 20).

Half of the universities that educate medical students in Poland had PM departments and provided obligatory PM teaching. Establishing departments of PM and PC at all medical universities, collegium medicum at universities, and faculties of medicine at universities with a common PM program as an integral part of undergraduate education is suggested through including PM as a separate subject to the Regulation of the Ministry of Education and Science and initiatives of National and Provincial Consultants in PM.