The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Sep 2017
ReviewPalliative Care in Undergraduate Medical Education-How Far Have We Come?
There is an increasing demand for quality palliative care teaching within undergraduate medical education. Studies suggest that many junior doctors feel underprepared to perform end-of-life care. Previous systematic reviews on palliative care teaching within medical schools have identified significant variability and lack of consistency in teaching. This review aims to update the literature on the current status of palliative care teaching to undergraduates within medical schools. ⋯ There is significant progress in palliative care education within medical schools. Ongoing challenges relate to correlating our current practice in medical education to professional recommendations and the expressed needs of junior doctors to practice competent end-of-life care.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Sep 2017
Physicians in Postgraduate Training Characteristics and Support of Palliative Sedation for Existential Distress.
Palliative sedation for refractory existential distress (PS-ED) is ethically troubling but potentially critical to quality end-of-life (EOL) care. Physicians' in postgraduate training support toward PS-ED is unknown nor is it known how empathy, hope, optimism, or intrinsic religious motivation (IRM) affect their support. These knowledge gaps hinder efforts to support physicians who struggle with patients' EOL care preferences. ⋯ Comparing current results to published surveys, a similar proportion of residents and practicing physicians support PS-ED and PS-PP. In contrast to practicing physicians, however, IRM does not directly influence residents' supportiveness. The interaction between optimism and IRM suggests residents' beliefs and characteristics are salient to their EOL decisions. End-of-life curricula should provide physicians opportunities to reflect on the personal and ethical factors that influence their support for PS-ED.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Sep 2017
Can Playing an End-of-Life Conversation Game Motivate People to Engage in Advance Care Planning?
Advance care planning (ACP) involves several behaviors that individuals undertake to prepare for future medical care should they lose decision-making capacity. The goal of this study was to assess whether playing a conversation game could motivate participants to engage in ACP. ⋯ This pilot study found that individuals who played a conversation game had high rates of performing ACP behaviors within 3 months. These findings suggest that using a game format may be a useful way to motivate people to perform important ACP behaviors.