Outcomes from a Longitudinal Palliative Care Curriculum for Medical Students

As more medical schools implement longitudinal palliative care (PC) curricula, the need for robust evaluation that demonstrates curricular outcomes has become increasingly important.

The authors prospectively evaluated a PC curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, using the Context, Input, Process, Product model.

Between 2021 and 2025, data that provided evidence of value were generated from a variety of sources and stakeholders to address evaluation questions about acceptability, student knowledge and attitudes about PC topics and engagement in PC opportunities. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected with an assortment of tools including evaluation scores, focus groups, interviews, written reflections, quiz scores, and medical record notes.

Results of this evaluation indicated that the curriculum achieved the intended outcomes of acceptance to diverse stakeholders, improved student knowledge and attitudes about PC, and increased student engagement in PC. Unanticipated impacts of the curriculum were also captured.

The evaluation provided multisource evidence of the value of a longitudinal curriculum in PC and may serve as an example for others charged with evaluating longitudinal PC curricula in medical school.