[Self assessment about proficiency on palliative care in a cohort of residents].

Background: Little is known about the status and level of medical education on palliative care, symptom control and aspects of end of life care provided by medical school programs in Chile.

Aim: To determine if a cohort of residents had palliative care and end of life care education during pre graduate and post graduate training. Residents were also asked to self assess their proficiency in these areas.

Symptom control and palliative care in Chile.

As in other developed and developing countries, the most common chronic disorders affecting the Chilean population are cardiovascular disease, cancer, cirrhosis, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmo- nary disease and external injuries. Availability of oncology services is not extensive and there are no academic programs to adequately train practitioners in either palliative medicine or comprehensive palliative care for allied health professionals including nurses, psychologists and chaplains. Major efforts have been made to incorporate palliative care as an important health care focus in the last decade and in the development of effective policies for opioid availability.