Characteristics of death education curricula in American medical schools

To determine the content, structure, objectives, and organization of death education curricula in American medical schools, a cross-sectional survey was developed. The data, representing 100% of the population, demonstrated that such curricula expanded markedly during the past decade. The developmental stimuli for death education, sources of funding, and objectives of death education curricula were relatively consistent across respondents. Conversely, course content, faculty and patient roles, learning resources, and involvement in curriculum research did not evidence a systematic development. The results of the study suggest the need for a further investigation of the clinical implications of death education.