Introduction of a pediatric palliative care curriculum for pediatric residents

Introduction of a pediatric palliative care curriculum for pediatric residents

Schiffman JD; Chamberlain LJ; Palmer L; Contro N; Sourkes B; Sectish TC

Journal Of Palliative Medicine

2008

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Pediatric Palliative Care Curriculum (PPCC) was introduced as a pilot study in response to the published need for increased pediatric education in end-of-life (EOL) care. The PPCC was designed to better train residents in EOL issues so they could become more comfortable and knowledgeable in caring for children and adolescents with life-threatening illnesses. Method: The PPCC consisted of six hour-long sessions run by a clinical psychologist, a licensed social worker, and faculty with experience in EOL care. The curriculum repeated every 6 weeks for 1 year. Residents in the training program at Stanford University rotating through oncology, pulmonology, and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were invited to attend. Session topics included: (1) personal coping skills, (2) being a caring professional, (3) recognizing cultural and familial differences, (4) pain management, (5) practical issues, and (6) meeting a bereaved parent. Pretest and posttest surveys with five-point Likert scale questions were used to measure curricular impact. Results: Statistically significant improvement was found in resident self-report of: feeling prepared to initiate do-not-resuscitate discussions (p

2008

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