The Effects of an Early Observational Experience on Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward End-of-Life Care
End-of-life care is paramount in maintaining the quality of life of the terminally ill, protecting them from unnecessary treatment, and controlling costs incurred in their care. Training doctors to be effective end-of-life caregivers begins in medical school. A survey design was used to collect data...
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| Published in: | American journal of hospice & palliative medicine Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 52 - 60 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Los Angeles, CA
SAGE Publications
01-02-2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | End-of-life care is paramount in maintaining the quality of life of the terminally ill, protecting them from unnecessary treatment, and controlling costs incurred in their care. Training doctors to be effective end-of-life caregivers begins in medical school. A survey design was used to collect data from 166 first-year medical students before and after exposure to hospice or palliative care through an early clinical exposure program. Data demonstrated that students had a significant change in attitude scores after the observational experience (P < .05). Providing students with the opportunity to observe and participate in end-of-life care has a positive effect on attitudes toward the care of dying persons. We recommend that direct exposure to end-of-life care practices be incorporated early in the medical school curriculum. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 1049-9091 1938-2715 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1049909113505760 |