Medical Schools are challenged to improve palliative care education and to find ways to introduce and nurture attitudes and behaviours such as empathy, patient-centred care and wholistic care. This paper describes the curriculum and evaluation results of a unique course centred on palliative care decision-making but aimed at introducing these other important competencies as well. The 20 h-long optional course, presented in an art museum, combined different learning methods, including reflections on art, case studies, didactic sessions, personal experiences of faculty, reflective trigger videos and group discussions. A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate the course, including a) a post-course reflective exercise; b) a standardized evaluation form used by the University for all courses; and c) a focus group. Twenty students (2nd to 6th years) participated. The course was rated highly by the students. Their understanding of palliative care changed and misconceptions were dispelled. They came to appreciate the multifaceted nature of decision-making in the palliative care setting and the need to individualize care plans. Moreover, the course resulted in a re-conceptualization of relationships with patients and families, as well as their role as future physicians. Palliative care decision-making therefore, augmented by the visual arts, can serve as a vehicle to address several competencies, including the introduction of competencies related to being patient-centred and empathic.

Context: A mandatory course in palliative care (PC) is organized for all final-year medical students at the University of Navarre. It consists of 24 lectures, 4 workshops, and 1 scheduled five hour clinical PC service experience at two different sites. In the 48 hours after the visit and related to the clinical experience, each student has to complete a 500-word reflective writing (RW) piece. Objective: To investigate how a brief PC clinical experience helps equip the medical student. Methods: Qualitative study of RW. Two researchers produced a content analysis of students’ RW. They collaboratively developed themes and categories with a constant review of the classification tree and an exhaustive collection of quotes. Differences between services were analyzed (λ²). Results: One hundred sixty-seven RW were analyzed from the 197 students on the course (response rate 85%). Six major themes emerged: All the students identified central aspects of PC work dynamics; students acquired specific PC knowledge (86%); the personal influence of the experience was reported (68%); students described how patients and their caregivers deal with the patients’ illness (68%); students talked about the essence of PC and essential aspects of medicine (42%); students reported spontaneously having changed their assumptions about PC (15%); and they realized that the experience was relevant to all clinical practice. Categories such as teamwork, the expression of patients’ and caregivers’ feelings, and family devotion showed statistical differences between services (λ² p < 0.05). Conclusion: A short bedside clinical experience in PC, encouraging student reflection, provides a deeper understanding of PC and even of core medicine values. The data we gather cannot explain only new skill acquisition but seems to suggest a life-changing personal experience for the student.

Understanding patient and caregiver experience is key to providing person-centered care. The palliative care approach includes holistic assessment and whole-person care at the end of life, that also involves the patient's family and loved ones. The aim of this study was to describe the way that family caregivers experienced patients' deaths during their loved ones' last hospital admission, comparing inpatient palliative care (PCU) and non-palliative care (Non-PCU) units. A qualitative case study approach was implemented. Family caregivers of terminally ill patients admitted to the Infanta Elena Hospital (Madrid, Spain) between 2016 and 2018 were included using purposeful sampling. Eligible caregivers were first-degree relatives or spouses present during the patient's last hospital admission. Data were collected via in-depth interviews and researchers' field notes. Semi-structured interviews with a question guide were used. A thematic inductive analysis was performed. The group of caregivers of patients admitted to the PCU unit and the group of caregivers of patients admitted to Non-PCU were analyzed separately, through a matrix. In total 24 caregivers (12 from the PCU and 12 from Non-PCU units) were included. Two main themes were identified: caregivers' perception of scientific and technical appropriateness of care, and perception of person-centred care. Scientific appropriateness of care was subdivided into two categories: diagnostic tests and treatment, and symptom control. Perception of person-centred care was subdivided as: communication, emotional support, and facilitating the farewell process. Caregivers of patients admitted to a PCU unit described their experience of end-of-life care as positive, while their Non-PCU unit counterparts described largely negative experiences. PCU provides a person-centered approach to care at the end of life, optimizing treatment for patients with advanced disease, ensuring effective communication, establishing a satisfactory professional relationship with both patients and their loved ones, and facilitating the farewell process for family caregivers.

Introduction: Quality medical education, centered on a patient’s needs, is crucial to develop the health professionals that our society requires. Research suggests a strong contribution of palliative care education to professionalism. The aim of this study was to design and validate a self-report inventory to measure student’s professional development. Method: Sequential exploratory strategy mixed method. The inventory is built based on the themes that emerged from the analysis of four qualitative studies about nursing and medical students’ perceptions related to palliative care teaching interventions (see Ballesteros et al. 2014, Centeno et al. 2014 and 2017, Rojí et al. 2017). The structure and psychometrics of the inventory obtained is tested in two different surveys with two different groups of medical students. Inventory reliability and construct validity are tested in the first survey group. To verify the inventory structure, a confirmatory factor analysis is performed in a second survey group. Results: The inventory has 33 items and seven dimensions: a holistic approach, caring for and understanding the patient, personal growth, teamwork, decision-making, patient evaluation, and being a health care professional. Cronbach’s-alpha was 0.73–0.84 in all seven domains, ICC: 0.95. The confirmatory factor analysis comparative fit index (CFI) was 1 with a standardized root mean square Index 0.088 (SRMR) and obtained a 0.99 goodness-of-fit R-square coefficient. Conclusions: this new inventory is grounded on student’s palliative care teaching experiences and seems to be valid to assess student’s professional development.

Background: Delirium in advanced cancer inpatient ranges between 13% and 85%. Reasons for this variability on the reported data could be related to the setting where they are admitted. Methods: This is an observational, comparative, prospective study on delirium diagnosis and delirium course of advanced cancer inpatients in two different palliative care settings. Hospice (C1) versus palliative care supportive team (C2). Differences between delirium precipitants, delirium treatment, and delirium survival were observed. Results: From 582 consecutive admissions, 494 from C1 and 88 from C2, finally 227 patients met inclusion criteria, were entered in the study. Total population delirium rate at admission, if we add both centers, was 57 patients (25%), 46 (26%) from C1 and 11 (22%) from C2; no statistically significant differences between delirium rate at admission between the two centers were found ( χ ² ). When delirium course between delirious patients admitted in C1 and C2 was analyzed, a significantly higher rate of delirium reversibility was found in C2 [11/14 (78%)] versus [9/65 (14%)] in C1 ( χ ² p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The frequency of delirium at admission and during the hospitalization in advanced cancer patients does not seem to be related to the setting, what seems to be related is the delirium course.