Structuring Palliative Care Education for Medical Students: Impact of a Novel Framework and Pocket Card.

Abstract

Introduction: Palliative care (PC) education is not uniformly provided across U.S. medical schools. While PC competencies for medical students have been articulated, no student-facing, unifying framework for competency-based PC learning exists.

Methods: In 2022, we developed a student-facing organizing framework (the "6 Ps") based on existing PC competencies and created a pocket card introducing foundational PC concepts organized within the 6 Ps framework. In 2023, we provided a mandatory 15-minute session to introduce the 6 Ps and pocket card to the first-year class of our large, urban medical school. We provided voluntary pre- and post- session surveys to evaluate usability and impact of the framework and pocket card.

Results: One hundred-twenty students of the 204-student class (59%) attended. Survey response rate was 106/120 (88%) pre-session and 101/120 (84%) post-session. Following the session, students agreed the 6 Ps was a good framework for conceptualizing PC (95/101; 94%), that the pocket card was understandable (96/101; 95%), and they would use the pocket card to teach fellow students about PC (85/101; 84%). Nearly all students endorsed learning novel concepts (95/100; 95%). Pre/post session comparison of self-assessed confidence approaching hypothetical clinical tasks, such as educating a patient about PC and hospice, revealed significant improvement (P < .01).

Discussion: First-year medical students were able to use the 6 Ps framework and pocket card after a brief introduction, endorsing new learning and demonstrating significant gains in knowledge and self-assessed confidence. Medical educators across schools may consider adopting this novel tool and approach to introduce or support student learning about PC.