Palliative care training in medical undergraduate education: a survey among the faculty.

Background: A minority of European countries have compulsory training in palliative care within all medical schools. The aim of the study was to examine palliative care education in Estonia.

Methods: We used the adapted version of the Palliative Education Assessment Tool (PEAT) to evaluate palliative care education at the University of Tartu, the only medical school in Estonia.

Investigating the Relationship between Fear of Failure and the Delivery of End-of-Life Care: A Questionnaire Study.

Objective: To investigate whether fear of failure (FOF) influences a clinician's perception of how confident and comfortable they are in their delivery of end-of-life (EOL) care.

Methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire study with recruitment of physicians and nurses across two large NHS hospital trusts in the UK and national UK professional networks. A total of 104 physicians and 101 specialist nurses across 20 hospital specialities provided data that were analysed using a two-step hierarchical regression.

Physician emotional experience of communication and decision making with end-of-life patients: qualitative studies systematic review.

Objective: To explore the emotional experience of physicians in acute settings when encountering end-of-life conversations and decision making.

Method: Thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Medline, PsychInfo, PubMed, BNI and CIAHL were searched from 1985 to 2021 for studies published in English.

ILIVE Project Volunteer study. Developing international consensus for a European Core Curriculum for hospital end-of-life-care volunteer services, to train volunteers to support patients in the last weeks of life: A Delphi study.

Background: Volunteers make a huge contribution to the health and wellbeing of the population and can improve satisfaction with care especially in the hospice setting. However, palliative and end-of-life-care volunteer services in the hospital setting are relatively uncommon. The iLIVE Volunteer Study, one of eight work-packages within the iLIVE Project, was tasked with developing a European Core Curriculum for End-of-Life-Care Volunteers in hospital.

Are public health measures and individualised care compatible in the face of a pandemic? A national observational study of bereaved relatives' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 public health restrictions have affected end-of-life care experiences for dying patients and their families.

Aim: To explore bereaved relatives' experiences of quality of care and family support provided during the last days of life; to identify the impact of factors associated with perceived support.

Design: A national, observational, open online survey was developed and disseminated via social media, public fora and professional networks (June-September 2020).

Health and social care professionals' experiences of providing end of life care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

Background: Health and social care professionals' ability to address the needs of patients and their relatives at end of life is likely to have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: To explore health and social care professionals' experiences of providing end of life care during the COVID-19 pandemic to help inform current/future clinical practice and policy.

Design: A qualitative interview study.

A qualitative study of bereaved relatives' end of life experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Meeting the needs of relatives when a family member is dying can help facilitate better psychological adjustment in their grief. However, end of life experiences for families are likely to have been deleteriously impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Understanding how families' needs can be met during a global pandemic will have current/future relevance for clinical practice and policy.

Virtual reality in specialist palliative care: a feasibility study to enable clinical practice adoption.

Background: The use of virtual reality (VR) is increasing in palliative care. However, despite increasing interest in VR, there is little evidence of how this technology can be implemented into practice.

Aims: This paper aims to: (1) explore the feasibility of implementing VR therapy, for patients and caregivers, in a hospital specialist inpatient palliative care unit and a hospice, and (2) to identify questions for organisations, to support VR adoption in palliative care.

From European Association for Palliative Care Recommendations to a Blended, Standardized, Free-to-Access Undergraduate Curriculum in Palliative Medicine: The EDUPALL Project.

The World Health Organization recommends that "palliative care should be integrated as a routine element of all Undergraduate Medical Education." However, the provision of training for medical undergraduates is variable; only 18% of 51 European countries have mandatory training in palliative medicine. EDUPALL is an ERASMUS+ funded international collaborative project to develop and pilot an undergraduate program for training in palliative medicine.

A systematically structured review of biomarkers of dying in cancer patients in the last months of life; An exploration of the biology of dying.

Background: The Neuberger review made a number of recommendations to improve end of life care, including research into the biology of dying. An important aspect of the biology of dying is the identification of biomarkers as indices of disease processes. Biomarkers have the potential to inform the current, limited understanding of the dying process and assist clinicians in recognising dying, in particular how to distinguish dying from reversible acute deterioration.

Caring for those who die at home: the use and validation of 'Care Of the Dying Evaluation' (CODE) with bereaved relatives.

Background: As well as facilitating patients' wish to die at home, evaluating quality of care in this setting is essential. Postbereavement surveys with family members represent one assessment method. 'Care Of the Dying Evaluation' (CODE) is a 40-item self-completion postbereavement questionnaire, based on the key components of best practice for care of the dying.

Hydration in advanced cancer: can bioelectrical impedance analysis improve the evidence base? A systematic review of the literature.

Context: Decisions surrounding the administration of clinically assisted hydration to patients dying of cancer can be challenging because of the limited understanding of hydration in advanced cancer and a lack of evidence to guide health care professionals. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has been used to assess hydration in various patient groupings, but evidence for its use in advanced cancer is limited.

Objectives: To critically appraise existing methods of hydration status assessment in advanced cancer and review the potential for BIA to assess hydration in advanced cancer.

Undergraduate training in palliative medicine: is more necessarily better?

The General Medical Council's call to modernize medical education prompted the University of Liverpool Medical School to develop a new undergraduate programme, integrating palliative medicine as 'core' curricula. Following successful piloting, the palliative medicine training programme was further developed and expanded. This paper examines whether the additional investment produces improved outcomes.