Examining the effectiveness of the case study method to access attitudes toward palliative care among healthcare university students

Abstract

Background Palliative care requires a culture of collaboration between healthcare professionals. Interprofessional education (IPE) can improve attitudes toward interdisciplinary teamwork and teamwork skills of healthcare students. This study aimed to assess the effect of a case study with a multi-disciplinary group discussion on students' attitudes to palliative care and their teamwork skills. Methods This pretest–posttest study was conducted as part of a mandatory course comprising 15 lectures for third-year students in a university in Japan. The participants were recruited at the beginning of the course. Students were assigned 18 different cases and created care plans based on their professional perspectives. The intervention group involved the EOL case, while the control group involved other cases. Data were collected before and after students participated in the case study. Three primary surveys were administered before and after the case study: Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale Form B Japanese version (FATCOD-B-J), Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), and Death Attitude Inventory (DAI). The Shapiro-Wilk test was used for assessing normality of the distribution. We examined the pre- and post-intervention changes in each outcome and the post-intervention group differences. Results We received 169 completed questionnaires. Comparisons of change between groups showed no significant differences. FATCOD-B-J for the EOL group showed significant differences; the post-intervention outcome increased in the perceptions of patient- and family-centered care. RIPLS scores of both groups significantly increased at the post-intervention outcome in the subcategory of teamwork and collaboration. Conclusions For pre-licensure healthcare students, the EOL case study with multidisciplinary group discussions is an effective approach to enhance students’ skills and knowledge about the needs of EOL patients and their family. Case studies are also a straightforward learning method to help students learn to work in interprofessional teams. We assume that the results of this study are highly feasible and versatile.