End-of-life enhancement: A novel introduction of medical students to palliative medicine

摘要

Palliative medicine has been acknowledged as an important component of undergraduate medical training; however there are inherent difficulties in teaching the principles of the specialty.We describe how, in response to a change in recommendations from the Irish Medical Council to include optional Special Study Modules (SSM) in the curriculum, we created an opportunity for students to learn these principles. An SSM entitled 'End-of-Life Enhancement' has been designed and delivered to first year medical students at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland for the past three academic years.This special study module has a number of specific objectives for the student, central to which are an understanding of (1) the principles of palliative care, (2) the concept of quality of life and (3) the role of the palliative care team.