title: A qualitative exploration of perceived key knowledge and skills in end-of-life care in dementia patients among medical, nursing, and pharmacy students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The steady increase in the number of people living and dying with dementia, coupled with the recent focus on quality of care, has highlighted the importance of dementia training for health care professionals. This exploratory study aimed to discover which skills health care students felt were important in providing quality end-of-life care to dementia patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-four medicine, nursing, and pharmacy students participated in a larger study using open-ended and closed questions to explore attitudes related to caring for dementia patients at the end of life. This study looks at the student responses to an open-ended question regarding the skills and knowledge they believe are needed to provide end-of-life care to dementia patients. Individual responses were reviewed by the researchers, coded into key issues, and tabulated for frequency of occurrences and group differences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several common issues emerged: knowledge, patience, empathy, understanding, family involvement, compassion, medication knowledge, respect/patient autonomy, communication, quality of life, and patient education. Significant differences were observed among the participant groups on the following issues: Patience and understanding (pharmacy students mentioned these issues less frequently than medical and nursing students), compassion (medical students mentioned this issue more frequently than pharmacy students), and medication knowledge (pharmacy students mentioned this issue more frequently than medical and nursing students).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Different health care disciplines (in-training) value different skill sets for the provision of dementia care at the end-of-life. As health care education for dementia patients at the end of life is expanded, it will be important to understand which skills both patients and health care students value.
authors: 1 Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics , Iowa City, Iowa.
authors: Christopher M
authors: CM
authors: Nguyen
authors: Bannin De Witt
authors: Bde W
authors: Jansen
authors: Carmel M
authors: CM
authors: Hughes
authors: Wendy
authors: W
authors: Rasmussen
authors: Michelle T
authors: MT
authors: Weckmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D011361:Professional Competence; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*