Palliative care in a rural surgery residency program: an educational needs assessment

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Residency
• Palliative Care

Background:

• Palliative care education is lacking in surgical residency programs, especially in rural settings.
• Rural areas face unique challenges in palliative care due to limited specialists and resources.
• This study addresses the need for improved palliative care education in a rural general surgery residency program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate areas for improvement in palliative care education within a rural general surgery residency.
• To assess residents' current palliative care education, comfort levels, and perceived needs.
• To inform the development of targeted palliative care training initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous surveys were administered to residents in a rural general surgery program.
• Surveys assessed prior palliative care education, volunteering experience, and comfort with communication skills (goals of care, delivering news).
• A follow-up survey explored attitudes towards integrating palliative care education and identified perceived resource limitations.

Main Results:

• A majority of residents (82.4%) responded, with only 28.6% having significant prior palliative care education.
• Comfort with goals of care discussions (57.1%) and delivering serious news (50%) varied, with interns showing lower comfort levels.
• All residents recognized the necessity of palliative care education, identifying themes of future planning, expert consultation, and communication challenges.

Conclusions:

• Formal palliative care education is essential for rural surgery residency programs.
• Residents' comfort increases with training, particularly in goals of care discussions compared to delivering serious news.
• The program is implementing educational conferences, communication simulations, and telemedicine electives to enhance palliative care training.