Teaching palliative care to medical students
The integration of palliative care into the curriculum of general medicine studies
- 01 - Education
- 09 – Health and welfare
4. Impact and mission with and for society
- Research-based teaching and learning
- Extra-curricular teaching for citizens, stakeholders, students
- Promoting social responsibility through teaching professional and ethical values
The project successfully integrated palliative medicine into the general medicine curriculum through a unified teaching concept and innovative methods led by a newly formed team of educators. The teaching of palliative medicine was enhanced by 420 minutes throughout the study. The effort was coordinated by Dr. Hrdlicková, a pediatric oncologist and palliative care physician. She assembled a team of eight physicians from various specialties, including clinical oncology, internal medicine, geriatrics, hospice care, and pediatric palliative care. These specialists regularly treat palliative care patients in their clinical practice. To prepare the team for teaching, members participated in an 8-hour tailored training on pedagogical skills, emphasizing interactive teaching tools. Additionally, most attended a "To Teach How to Teach" workshop led by prof. Friedrichsdorf, a renowned expert in palliative medicine, which focused on enhancing presentation skills. The team developed a curriculum that introduces palliative care progressively throughout the six years of general medicine studies. Rather than creating a standalone course, palliative care was integrated into existing subjects such as ethics, oncology, neonatology, internal medicine, and geriatrics. Additionally, a compulsory elective course, Introduction to Palliative Medicine, was offered to interested students. The teaching approach emphasized interactivity, innovation, and consistency. Several interactive teaching methods in all the lectures was used. Team members collaborated to create visually interesting, engaging lectures. A faculty pedagogical advisor reviewed the lectures, providing feedback to optimize their quality. Pilot testing of the newly prepared lectures was conducted, incorporating feedback from students to ensure presentations were clear, engaging, and relevant. The teaching team meets regularly to reflect on ongoing teaching practices and adjust presentations based on feedback and socially relevant topics, such as cultural aspects of end-of-life care during the ongoing Ukrainian crisis or the newly discussed topic of euthanasia in the Czechia. By embedding palliative care into existing subjects and designing a compelling elective course, the project has transformed its teaching into a hallmark of the faculty. It serves as a model of good practice for other disciplines, showcasing how innovative and collaborative efforts can enhance medical education.
Methodology
Tools, equipment, technology used
Outcomes and outputs, main results
Lessons learnt
Adaptability and sustainability of the best practice (for other institutions)
Promotion of best practice
Scope and impact
- Course/department level
- Faculty level
- Institutional level
- Cross-institutional level
- National level
6.1 Digitalization
- NOT RELEVANT
Reasoning:
6.2 Internationalization
- Developing students' multicultural awareness
Reasoning: The teaching of palliative medicine includes the topic of death and dying, which is addressed as an open discussion of cultural specifics in different countries. Cultural differences in palliative care also relate to issues of autonomy and shared decision-making, which vary from country to country. Teaching also takes place in the English branch of the course, which involves students from countries all over the world, and sharing their experiences is always a great enrichment for all present.
6.3 Inclusion and diversity, universal design
- NOT RELEVANT
Reasoning:
6.4 Sustainability
- Sustainability goals are addressed in the course(s)
- Teaching material contains profession related sustainability aspects
Reasoning: In collaboration with the faculty management, the teaching methodology was made so that the members of the teaching team were substitutable. The project is now finalizing the teaching methodology that will be available to any new teacher. The members of the teaching team are new faculty members. The concept is now awaiting approval by the Faculty Research Council. Teaching the principles of palliative medicine will enable students to adopt a respectful approach in any other discipline.