Surgical Palliative Care Education

Abstract

Surgical palliative care education is in increasing demand to meet the needs of a growing geriatric population. Multiple accrediting agencies for undergraduate and graduate medical education require that students be trained in end-of-life care. These requirements, however, have resulted in didactic curricula that are implemented in various degrees with uncertain levels of success. Reviews of physician communication on palliative care topics find that skilled feedback has the best evidence for generating improvements. Once graduated, there is little to no requirement that practicing providers seek out opportunities to improve their palliative care skills.

Keywords: Continuing medical education; End-of-life care; Medical student education; Palliative care; Surgical resident education.