gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Undergraduate Palliative Care Education (UPCE) has become a mandatory topic during medical training in Germany. Evidence for UPCE didactic interventions hints towards a clear preference by medical students for experiential learning with real patient contact and emphasise on effective role modelling. We modelled a blended-learning-seminar “Communication with the dying patient” which consists of

1.

8 units of e-learning introduction,

2.

longitudinal 1:1 encounters with palliative care patients,

3.

a debriefing reflection seminar combined with

4.

a written personal experience essay.

The aim of this intervention is to facilitate more knowledge, increased feeling of preparedness in dealing and communicating with dying patients (self-efficacy) and increased sense of meaning in life.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study with a pre-post test design includes four electronic questionnaires (self-estimation of preparedness and basic skills in palliative care, opinions and attitudes towards death, meaning-in-life inventory, five factor personality inventory) along with demographic variables. Two intervention groups (summer semester 2014: n=18, winter semester 2014/2015: n=16) were invited via e-mail to answer the questionnaires. N=34 matched medical students served as controls.

Results: As of this writing, 34 students in the intervention group answered the questionnaires before the seminar (pre-test) and 9 students answered the questionnaires after the seminar (post-test). There are 77% women and 22,73% men between 20 and 32 years. Detailed analysis of the comparison data (intervention group vs. control group) will be presented.

Discussion: Medical students call for more direct patient contact during their medical training. Using a blended-learning approach, we piloted a real-patient contact intervention which balanced user preference with ethical and resource-oriented concerns. Longitudinal qualitative research is needed to explore the impact on knowledge, skills and attitudes of this intervention [1], [2], [3].