title: Education for palliative care: formal education about death, dying and bereavement in UK medical schools in 1983 and 1994.
abstract: Between 1983 and 1994 the amount and variety of teaching about death, dying and bereavement in UK medical schools has grown considerably. Twenty-seven of the 28 UK medical schools now have some formal teaching in this area, and a number of schools have substantial programmes of teaching. A wider range of topics is now taught, with most schools providing formal teaching about physical therapy, teamwork and ethical issues in terminal/palliative care. A greater range of teachers are involved, presumably providing a wider range of perspectives and expertise. The influence of the hospice movement is particularly noticeable, with the majority of schools using their local hospice as a teaching resource. It seems that the General Medical Council's proposed 'new curriculum' for undergraduate medical education will result in a further expansion of teaching about palliative care in many schools. However, rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of such teaching is largely absent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Leicester, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Field
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001601:Bereavement; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D013795:Thanatology; D006113:United Kingdom