Primary Palliative Care for Pediatric Residents: A Curricular Framework and Pilot

Annie Laurie Gula*, Emily Merkel, Zoe Bouchelle, Timothy Nelin, Christina R. Rojas, Jennifer Hwang, Victoria Johnson, Jeanine Ronan, Tara Bamat

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debatepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Problem: Palliative care (PC) is high-value, holistic care for a child and their family across the entire arc of an illness. All physicians should be competent in symptom management and providing goal-concordant care that acknowledges the quality of life; however, there is insufficient education in pediatric residency to develop competence in basic or .úPrimary.Ñ PC. Approach: We completed a needs assessment and developed a longitudinal, comprehensive, and integrated primary PC curriculum for pediatric residents with the goal of developing foundational primary PC skills regardless of eventual career trajectory. After 1 year of implementation, we assessed resident comfort with primary PC skills via a retrospective pre-post survey. Outcomes: We found a statistically significant (P.ß<.ß.05) increase in residents. comfort with pain management, delivering serious news, and discussing goals of care. An increase in comfort with the management of other symptoms was not statistically significant. Next Steps: After 1 year of implementation, residents describe an increase in comfort with primary PC skills. The next steps include more rigorous evaluation and expansion to include more education in medical ethics. While the educational need is universal, resident needs are constantly evolving and each institution should tailor this curriculum to fit their specific trainee needs and institutional expertise.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1133-1137
Number of pages5
JournalAcademic Pediatrics
Volume23
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2023

Funding

The authors would like to thank the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Mid-Atlantic Region , who supported this via a research award granted in Fall 2019.

Keywords

  • communication
  • palliative care
  • resident education
  • resilience

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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