“Teach for ethics in palliative care”: a mixed-method evaluation of a medical ethics training programme

BMC Palliative Care

Giovanna Artioli¹  Silvia Tanzi²  Elena Turola³  Ludovica De Panfilis⁴  Marta Perin⁵ 

[1] Palliative Care Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy;Palliative Care Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy;PhD Program in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy;Scientific Directorate, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy;Unit of Bioethics, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy;Unit of Bioethics, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy;PhD Program in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy;

关键词: Ethics;    Palliative care;    Education;    Ethical analyses;    Program evaluation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12904-020-00653-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTraining in medical ethics aims to educate health care professionals in dealing with daily care ethical issues. To guarantee quality of life and spiritual and emotional support, palliative care professionals have to develop ethical and relational skills. We propose the implementation and evaluation of a specialized training programme in medical ethics dedicated to a hospital-based Palliative Care Unit.MethodsThis study is a mixed-method before-after evaluation with data triangulation.ResultsThe results highlight that participants developed their ethical knowledge, and a deeper ethical awareness. They also felt more confident and motivated to widely apply ethical reflections and reasonings in their daily practice.ConclusionThe participants appreciated the innovative structure of the training, especially regarding the integration of the theoretical-interactive and practical parts. However, they recommended increasing the number of concrete occasions for ethical supervision and practical application of what they learned during the programme. The training programme also has some potential practical implications: the development of advanced ethical skills within a hospital-based PC team may improve the quality of life of the patients and their families. In addition, health care professionals with advanced ethical competencies are able to educate patients and their families towards more active participation in the decision-making process.

【 授权许可】

CC BY