title: Perception of Palliative Care among Medical Students in a Teaching Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. Palliative care must be a part of every medical personnel's practice. But still medical education curriculums have not included palliative care in its syllabus, sufficiently due to which most of the health professional are not aware about this specialty. The purpose of this study is to find out the perception of the medical students in palliative care in a teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study was done among 270 undergraduate medical students studying in Institute of Medicine using a self structured pretested questionnaire. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed by using SPSS 21.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total 270 undergraduate medical students only 152 has heard the word "palliative care". Only 84 students know, palliative care can be provided early in the life threatening illness. Total 80 students know it doesn't intend to postpone and hasten death. Though only 49 students didn't know PC is not included in our curriculum, 227 are interested to learn about it if given any opportunity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The perception of palliative care medicine is low in first couple of year of medical study. It is increased in clinically exposed students but is surprisingly more in fourth year than final year undergraduate medical students. However, it should be included in undergraduate medical study.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine, TUTH, Maharagunj, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine, TUTH, Maharagunj, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gaire
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine, TUTH, Maharagunj, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhakal
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, BPKIHS, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jaishwal
authors.affiliation: National Apollo Hospital, Damauli, Tanahu, Nepal.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kharel
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, BPKIHS, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vaidya
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009390:Nepal; D010166:Palliative Care; D065126:Palliative Medicine / Q000193:education*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: medical students; palliative care; perception.