[Educational needs of physicians and nurses working in palliative care].
BACKGROUND
The WHO definitions of palliative care have been adopted in Denmark and implemented in the national guidelines. The aim of this study was to assess the educational needs of doctors and nurses in palliative care in a Danish county hospital and the related primary care sector.


METHODS
A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to an anonymous cross-section of hospital nurses and doctors, home care nurses and GPs in the related primary care sector. The questions concerned the type of education obtained in the area and priorities for education in communication, supervision, pain and other typical symptoms in the terminally ill, as well as bereavement and grief therapy. The responses were compared by chi 2 statistics.


RESULTS
347 (76%) of those surveyed responded to the questionnaire. 81% of them were actually caring for a terminally ill or dying patient, and another 13% had done so within the past six months. The doctors, especially the hospital doctors, had generally received less education in the area surveyed than the nurses had and generally prioritized education lower than the nurses did; 44% of the respondents agreed completely or partially that they found it difficult to get up-to-date information on symptom control in palliative care.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicate a profound need for education in palliative care. Doctors reported having received less education in this area than nurses had, and they also perceived a lower priority for education than nurses did. Particularly worrisome is the level of education of hospital doctors.
Vejlgaard
Tove B
TB
Onkologisk Afdeling, Arhus Kommunehospital, DK-8000 Arhus C.
D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D006699:Home Care Services; D006766:Hospitals, County; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000193:education; D011231:Preceptorship; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods; D000078329:Workforce