Immediate effectiveness of brief psychological training for health professionals dealing with terminally ill cancer patients: a controlled study

Abstract

The usefulness of a psychological training for health professionals dealing with terminally ill cancer patients is beginning to be widely recognized, but little has been done to elaborate its content and form. The study of the effectiveness of brief psychological training groups is of special interest for the quality of treatment to be achieved. The principal aim of the training group, assessed here, was to develop a better understanding of death and dying issues and ways to cope with them. Subjects (n = 122) who attended the training groups were compared to a control group (n = 43). Attitudes about oneself, toward illness and death, occupation, personal growth, and professional relationship were assessed with a semantic differential questionnaire before and after training. Results show a significant change in attitudes for the trained subjects. Subjects reporting more negative attitudes at the beginning of the training were those which benefit the most. The attitude change is a first step aimed at assessing the effectiveness of psychological training; it will be completed by the assessment of long term attitudes and behavior modifications of the health care professionals trained.