Do Korean Medical Schools Provide Adequate End-of-Life Care Education? A Nationwide Survey of the Republic of Korea’s End-of-Life Care Curricula

Abstract

Purpose: Physician competency in end-of-life (EOL) care is becoming increasingly important. This study investigated the EOL care curricula in Korean medical schools. Methods: Questionnaires were issued to the faculty members responsible for the EOL care curricula at each of the medical schools. These included questions on the structure and content of the curricula, teaching methods, and faculty members' attitudes to the curricula. Results: Characteristics of the EOL care curricula were compiled from 27 (66%) of the 41 medical schools. All of the medical schools taught essential aspects of the EOL care curriculum either as a separate course or embedded within other medical education courses. The mean time spent on EOL care teaching was 10 hrs (range, 2~32 hrs). The most frequently taught topics were delivering bad news (100%) and symptom management (74%). When the palliative care education assessment tool (PEAT) was used to evaluate the curricula, a median of 11 PEAT objectives was met (range, 2~26; maximum, 83). More than two teaching methods were used in most of the curricula. However, lectures were the only teaching method used by three medical schools. 78% of faculty members who were responsible for curriculum reported dissatisfaction with it, whereas 18% believed that the time allotted to it was adequate. Only 7% of these faculty members believed that their students were adequately prepared to practice EOL care. Conclusion: There is a need to improve EOL care education in basic medical curricula and to take a more systematic approach to achieving learning outcomes.

Mapping an undergraduate medical education curriculum against national and international palliative care reference learning objectives

“…At the time this manuscript was being written, we were unable to find any other published curriculum assessment projects that used EFPPEC as a reference. There are several other published curriculum assessment studies that have referenced PEAT [9][10][11][12], but most of their aims and methods are quite dissimilar to our project. For example, Kim et al [9] assessed end of life care curricula by surveying directors or faculty members of 27 Korean medical schools, while Schiessl et al [10] reviewed 17 international UGME curricula identified by a literature search, with both studies reporting the proportion of their respective curricula that covered each PEAT objective and domain.…”

“…There are several other published curriculum assessment studies that have referenced PEAT [9][10][11][12], but most of their aims and methods are quite dissimilar to our project. For example, Kim et al [9] assessed end of life care curricula by surveying directors or faculty members of 27 Korean medical schools, while Schiessl et al [10] reviewed 17 international UGME curricula identified by a literature search, with both studies reporting the proportion of their respective curricula that covered each PEAT objective and domain. The different modes of data collection and output limit the utility of comparing results of our project to theirs.…”

“…Its design, importantly, supports the identification of palliative care content that is delivered outside of specific palliative care teaching sessions [8]. PEAT consists of 89 specific learning objectives categorized into seven major palliative care domains and has been used to assess international curricula [8][9][10][11][12].…”

Palliative care education in the Asia Pacific: Challenges and progress towards palliative care development

“…Most medical schools used lectures combined with small-group discussions, clinical clerkships, role play, or videos. 18 However, due to the Covid-19 situation, many lectures have been converted to online lectures, and active teaching methods have declined. In a recent study, many students had limited bedside experience and feedback from a clinical supervisor in end-of-life care (EOL) curricula; with students appearing to need more clinical experiences and feedback as these are paramount to the competencies of medical students.…”

A Preliminary Study to Improve Death Education for the Public and Medical Students after the Enforcement of the Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision Act

“…There were 41 medical schools in Korea when the survey was conducted by Kim et al [14] in 2016. The authors of the study said the questionnaires were sent between March and May 2016. b) There were 40 medical schools in 2021.…”