How These Med Schools Are Improving End-of-Life Instruction

Massachusetts' four medical schools are taking innovative measures to improve education about end-of-life care, reports Next Avenue . In terms of palliative care, UMass Memorial Medical Center's Dr. Jennifer Reidy cites the importance of having dialogues about what matters most and "being able to treat people's pain and other distressing symptoms that affect their quality of life are all things that any doctor should be able to do in their field." She notes students at each participating school will receive training on complex communication procedures for breaking difficult news and having conversations about prognoses and end-of-life planning. Dr. Atul Gawande encourages students to investigate areas to determine what will promote well-being. These include a person's understanding of their illness; their fears and worries for the future; their priorities if time becomes short; what sacrifices they are and are not willing to make; and what their good days are like. UMass Medical Center's Tiffany Chen says the new curriculum is designed to make students "better equipped at baseline to have these conversations," noting they will need to improve their proficiency at reading people's cues and better communicators "by first listening." A simulation lab and new training methods, including role-playing actors, are essential to this process at Chen's school.