• Naomi Karlen, Brian Cruz, and A E Leigh.
• 1 Internal Medicine Residency Program, Tulane University School of Medicine , New Orleans, Louisiana.
• J Palliat Med. 2016 Apr 1; 19 (4): 428-36.

Background And ObjectiveDespite the growth of palliative medicine, 39% of hospitals do not have palliative care teams for consultation or to provide resident education. We examined the impact of resident-led education in palliative care principles on attitudes toward and comfort with palliative medicine and end-of-life care among internal medicine residents.MethodsAn educational module designed by the authors was presented to other internal medicine residents in the program. Pre- and post-intervention survey data measuring residents' agreement with various statements regarding palliative medicine and end-of-life care were analyzed. Residents' agreement with various statements regarding palliative medicine and end-of-life care on a 5-point Likert scale was analyzed.ResultsFollowing the intervention, participants reported improved comfort with general knowledge of palliative medicine (p < 0.01), specific resources available to patients (p < 0.001), and explaining the difference between palliative care and end-of-life care (p < 0.001). In each of the seven specific domains of palliative medicine covered in the educational session, residents reported a statistically significant increase in comfort in all of the areas addressed (p < 0.05).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that a resident-led curriculum in palliative medicine can improve resident comfort within this still-under-represented area of medicine.

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