Background: In New Zealand, 34% of deaths occur in the hospital setting where junior doctors are at the frontline of patient care. The death rate in New Zealand is expected to double by 2068 due to the aging population, but many studies report that graduates feel unprepared to care for people near the end of life and find this to be one of the most stressful parts of their work. International guidelines recommend that palliative and end of life care should be a mandatory component of undergraduate medical education, yet teaching varies widely and remains optional in many countries. Little is known about how medical students in New Zealand learn about this important area of clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the organisation, structure and provision of formal teaching, assessment and clinical learning opportunities in palliative and end of life care for undergraduate medical students in New Zealand.
Methods: Quantitative descriptive, cross-sectional survey of module conveners in New Zealand medical schools.
Results: Palliative and end of life care is included in undergraduate teaching in all medical schools. However, there are gaps in content, minimal formal assessment and limited contact with specialist palliative care services. Lack of teaching staff and pressure on curriculum time are the main barriers to further curriculum development.
Conclusions: This article reports the findings of the first national survey of formal teaching, assessment and clinical learning opportunities in palliative and end of life care in undergraduate medical education in New Zealand. There has been significant progress towards integrating this content into the curriculum, although further development is needed to address barriers and maximise learning opportunities to ensure graduates are as well prepared as possible.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03593-3 | DOI Listing |
Int J Clin Oncol
January 2025
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, 2-1-1, Idaidori, Yahaba, Iwate, 028-3695, Japan.
Background: The quality of life (QOL) of ovarian cancer patients is often impaired by refractory ascites. Cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) is a palliative treatment for refractory ascites, but adverse events, such as fever, are problematic. Several cytokines have been suggested to be responsible for the adverse events, but they have not been investigated in detail.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pain Symptom Manage
January 2025
Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Context: There has been growing interest in the role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as part of end-of-life care.
Objectives: This study prospectively examined the prevalence, predictors and outcomes of ingestible CAM use among cancer patients in their last year of life in Singapore.
Methods: This study (N=427) utilized data across 12 months (4 time points) prior to patient death.
Am J Hosp Palliat Care
January 2025
Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Orthodox Jewish patients with terminal illnesses have unique goals and desires, often driven by (Jewish law and ethics) and cultural norms. We conducted a quality improvement project investigating the baseline perceptions and experiences of medical professionals who care for Orthodox Jewish patients with terminal illnesses. The survey included health care professionals who cared for Orthodox Jewish patients as part of Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Oncology, or Palliative Care and Hospice teams.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn Pediatr (Engl Ed)
January 2025
Stress and Health Research Group, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Objective: To describe the perceived wellbeing (pWB) and the psychological characteristics of young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions (LLTCs).
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in young people aged 8 years or older with collection of data on demographic and disease-related variables from the health records. In the psychological evaluation, we collected data on emotion regulation, cognitive strategies and risk of depression and anxiety, in addition to the assessment of the pWB through a visual analogue scale.
Am J Hosp Palliat Care
January 2025
Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Japan.
Background: Delirium is a condition characterized by an acute and transient disturbance in attention, cognition, and consciousness. It is increasingly prevalent at the end of life in patients with cancer. While non-pharmacological nursing interventions are essential for delirium prevention, their effectiveness in terminally ill patients with cancer remains unclear.
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