2024/06/17 by Marie-Christin Dronia, Dronia, Marie-Christin, Kim Dillen +17
Medicine · #Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life #Curriculum #Deutschland #Germany #Medicine and health #Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues #Palliativmedizin #Patient Dignity and Privacy #curriculum #medical edcuation #medical residency #medizinische Ausbildung #palliative medicine #ärztliche Weiterbildung
paper · doi:10.3205/zma001682
openalex publication_date 2024/06/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Objective: In 2009, Palliative care was incorporated into the medical curriculum as Cross-Sectional Subject 13 (QB13) by means of the revision of the Medical Licensing Regulations for Physicians. The aim of this study was to determine the strengths and deficits of QB13 student education for palliative care in clinical practice in a multi-centre setting and to identify potential for improvement. Methods: Online questionnaires filled out by medical students during their Practical Year (PY) and resident physicians from the university hospitals in Aachen, Düsseldorf, and Cologne were descriptively analyzed using SPSS; free-text responses were categorized and quantified. Semi-structured interviews with the resident physicians (using a mixed-methods design) were analyzed through content analysis. Emerging categories were quantified. Results: Analysis of 130 fully completed questionnaires and 23 interviews revealed that participants particularly benefited from patient- and practice-oriented small-group sessions for their clinical work. Despite some university-specific differences, the PY students identified a need for training in end-of-life-care, while resident physicians saw a need for training primarily in dealing with patients and their relatives. They also reported deficits in transferability. Conclusion: QB13 should be organised in cross-university curricula and provide sufficient resources for practical-oriented small-group teaching. Based on the "unit of care", besides caring for palliative patients, dealing with patients' families should also be an education focus. To improve transferability into clinical practice, students should be actively involved in the care of palliative patients.