Pediatric palliative care education for medical students: development and evaluation of a pilot program

In Poland, medical curricula cover palliative care for adults, not for children. This paper evaluates feedback of students who participated in a pilot pediatric palliative care education program. Method: An anonymous questionnaire was designed for the students; they were asked to assess each aspect of the program on a scale of 0 to 6 (0 denoted complete dissatisfaction; 6, complete satisfaction). Results: 207 students participated in the program, 197 evaluated it, and 160 formed the research data group. More than 50 percent gave the program 5 points (mean ± SD; 4.91 ± 0.9). A total of 79 students (44 percent) assessed the material as 51 to 75 percent new, and 56 students (31 percent) placed it between 76 and 100 percent. A majority indicated that the material would be most useful to them in their future clinical work. Most respondents (78 percent) stated that pediatric palliative care should be included in the pediatrics curriculum. The contribution of the program instructors was given a high score (on average, 5.26 ± 0.52). Conclusion: The pediatric palliative care education program was feasible, and it was well received by the students who undertook it.