title: [PKT - Palliative competence test for physicians : Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess knowledge and specific self-efficacy expectations of physicians in palliative care].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Providing end of life care for dying patients and those with life-threatening diseases is one of the core competences of physician. During the course of training all physicians should develop a sharpened perception of symptoms and acquire competence in the relief and therapy of pain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The Hospital of Saint John of God in Vienna, Austria, provides an educational program for residents concerning end of life care. Treatment of pain is one of the major topics. A questionnaire (PKT) was designed in order to evaluate the efficiency of this program.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Japanese PEACE questionnaire for assessing palliative knowledge of physicians was translated into German and the items checking specific self-efficacy expectations in palliative care in the Bonn palliative knowledge test (Bonner Palliativwissenstests) were transformed into physician duties. The new combination of 52 items was validated by testing groups of physicians with different levels of palliative education and experience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 37 physicians who had received palliative education scored better in the knowledge section than the 46 without palliative education: 21 vs. 16 correct answers out of 28 (p < 0.001). In these two groups we also found a differences in self-efficacy expectations in palliative care: 46 vs. 35 points out of 54 (p < 0.001). Having worked in a specialized palliative setting (n = 33) was associated with higher scores in palliative knowledge 23 vs. 16 points (p < 0.001) as well as in self-efficacy expectations 47 vs. 35 (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PKT is a German questionnaire that was validated to assess the efficiency of palliative education for physicians.
authors.affiliation: Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder Wien, Johannes-von-Gott-Platz 1, 1020, Wien, Österreich. veronika.mosich@bbwien.at.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mosich
authors.affiliation: Mobiles Caritas-Hospiz Wien, Wien, Österreich.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sellner-Pogány
authors.affiliation: Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder Wien, Johannes-von-Gott-Platz 1, 1020, Wien, Österreich.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wallner
mesh_terms: D001317:Austria; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010819:Physician's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating
keywords: Palliative care; Palliative education; Physicians; Questionnaire; Validation study