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Palliative Care Knowledge and Self-Efficacy Among Anesthesiology Residents: A Multi-Institutional Cross-Sectional
Paul E Zimmerman1, Haley M Stone1, Fei Chen1
1The following authors are at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC: is an Associate Professor in the Division of Clinical Medicine and a Hospice and Palliative Care Fellow; is Hospice and Palliative Care Fellow and an Internal Medicine Resident; is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. is an Assistant Professorof the Uniformed Services University and practices in the Department of Anesthesia at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale University in New Haven, CT. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, and a Cardiac Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine Fellow at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. is the Edward A. Norfleet Distinguished Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, and a Cardiac Anesthesia Fellow at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, and an Obstetric Anesthesia Fellow at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA.
Anesthesiology residents show varied palliative care (PC) knowledge, with lowest scores in pain and symptom management. Confidence in PC skills does not increase with training, indicating a need for improved educational interventions.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Palliative Care
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Anesthesiology residents require palliative care (PC) training due to their perioperative role.
- Despite PC training requirements, resident knowledge in this area is not well understood.
- This study assesses baseline PC knowledge and self-efficacy among anesthesiology residents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the current level of palliative care knowledge among anesthesiology residents.
- To assess anesthesiology residents' perceived self-efficacy in palliative care domains.
- To identify potential gaps in palliative care education for anesthesiology trainees.
Main Methods:
- Anesthesiology residents from four institutions participated.
- A knowledge test (KT) and self-efficacy inventory (SEI) were administered, covering five PC domains.
- Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests, compared scores by residency year.
Main Results:
- Residents scored highest in psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural aspects of care (PSC) on the KT, but lowest in pain and symptom management (PSM).
- On the SEI, residents reported highest self-efficacy in PSM and lowest in terminal care and bereavement (TCB).
- Neither knowledge nor self-efficacy scores improved with training, with final-year residents showing the lowest scores.
Conclusions:
- Exploratory insights into palliative care education for anesthesiology residents were provided.
- Findings highlight a need to enhance educational assessments and interventions for PC.
- Improving resident competency and confidence in PC principles is crucial for patient care.
