Does interdisciplinary and multiprofessional undergraduate education increase students' self-confidence and knowledge toward palliative care? Evaluat…

2015

Undergraduate palliative care education (UPCE) became mandatory in Germany by 2013. The training in Mainz, addressing fifth-year (5Y) medical students, emphasizes transfer of knowledge and skills. In this study we assessed students' knowledge and students' self-estimation of self-confidence in palliative care (PC) according to Bandura's concept of self-efficacy.The study objective was to evaluate the effects of the Mainz UPCE on students' self-confidence regarding important domains in PC.We conducted a prospective questionnaire-based cohort study with a pre-post design. 5Y medical students (n=329) were asked for self-estimation concerning knowledge, somatic aspects, spiritual and psychologi…