Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Competency and educational needs in palliative care

Kompetenz und Fortbildungsbedarf in Palliative Care

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Wiener klinische Wochenschrift Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Zusammenfassung

ZIEL: Mit der vorliegenden Untersuchung sollte eine Selbsteinschätzung von allgemeinmedizinisch tätigen Ärzten sowie Pflegepersonen bezüglich der jeweiligen Kompetenz in Palliative Care sowie des konkreten Weiterbildungsbedarfs in ermittelt werden. METHODEN: Allen 897 niedergelassenen Allgemeinmedizinern sowie allen 933 registrierten Pflegekräften der Hauskrankenpflegevereine in der Steiermark wurden per Post Fragebögen zugesandt zur Evaluation ihrer Ausbildung in (i) Schmerztherapie und Symptomkontrolle, (ii) psychosozialer Betreuung sowie (iii) Umgang mit berufsbedingtem Leid. ERGEBNISSE: 61,8% der 546 auswertbaren Antwortenden fühlten sich unzureichend oder eher unzureichend für die palliative Betreuung schwerkranker und sterbender Patienten ausgebildet (Allgemeinmediziner: 70%, Pflegepersonen: 50,4%). Ärzte schätzten die Kompetenz innerhalb ihrer eigenen Berufsgruppe signifikant höher und den Fortbildungsbedarf signifikant niedriger ein als Pflegekräfte (p < 0,01). Von beiden Berufsgruppen wurde ein hoher Bedarf an Weiterbildung besonders im Bereich des neuropsychiatrischen Symptommanagements angegeben. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNG: Die Ergebnisse der Befragung bieten eine detaillierte Analyse von Kompetenz und Fortbildungsbedarf zur bedarfsadaptierten Planung künftiger Bildungsmaßnahmen im Bereich Palliative Care.

Summary

PURPOSE: To explore general practitioners' (GPs') and nurses' self assessment of professional education, competency and educational needs in palliative care. METHODS: All 897 registered GPs and all 933 registered home care nurses in the Province of Styria/Austria were sent postal questionnaires to evaluate their professional training in (i) pain control and symptom management, (ii) handling psychosocial needs and (iii) ability to cope with work-related distress. RESULTS: 61.8% of 546 evaluable respondents felt not at all or not sufficiently prepared for palliative care by their professional education (GPs: 70%, nurses: 50.4%). GPs rated the competency of their professional guild significantly higher and their educational needs significantly lower than nurses (p < 0.01). Both, GPs and nurses emphasised a great need for education in the area of neuropsychiatric symptom management. CONCLUSION: Our results provide a detailed analysis of needs and may help to target goals for training seminars in palliative care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Levy B, Selare AB (1979) Fatal illness in general practice. J R Coll Gen Pract 26: 303–307

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartwright A (1991) Changes in life and care of the year before death (1969–1987). J Public Health Med 13: 81–87

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Field D, James N (1993) Where and how people die. In: Clark D (ed) The future for palliative care; issues in policy and practice. Open University Press, Buckingham

    Google Scholar 

  • Vutuc C, Waldhoer T, Haidinger G (2004) Cancer mortality in Austria: 1970–2002. Wien Klin Wochenschr 116 (19–20): 669–675

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valentin A (2006) Therapiebegrenzung oder -abbruch: Das Prinzip des "primum nihil nocere". Wien Klin Wochenschr 118: 309–311

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bosshard G, Fischer S, van der Heide A, Miccinesi G, Faisst K (2006) Intentionally hastening death in withholding and withdrawing treatment. Wien Klin Wochenschr 118: 322–326

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Suicide prevention efforts to increase research and education in palliative care (1998) United States General Accounting Office. www.gao.gov/archive/1998/he98128.pdf, accessed 25.10.2005

  • James CR, Macleod RD (1993) The problematic nature of education in palliative care. J Palliat Care 9: 5–10

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ury WA, Reznich CB, Weber CM (2000) A needs assessment for a palliative care curriculum. J Pain Symptom Manage 20: 408–416

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barzansky B, Veloski JJ, Miller R, Jonas HS (1999) Education in end-of-life care during medical school and residency training. Acad Med 74 [10 Suppl]: S102–S104

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffrey D (1994) Education in palliative care: a qualitative evaluation of the present state and the needs of general practitioners and community nurses. Eur J Cancer Care 13: 67–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samaroo B (1996) Assessing palliative care educational needs of physicians and nurses: results of a survey. Greater Victoria Hospital Society Palliative Care Committee. J Palliat Care 12 (2): 20–22

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shipman C, Addington-Hall J, Barclay S, Briggs J, Cox I, Daniels L, Millar D (2001) Educational opportunities in palliative care: what do general practitioners want? Palliat Med 15: 191–196

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Farber NJ, Urban SY, Colllier VU, Metzger M, Weiner J, Boyer EG (2004) Frequency and perceived competence in providing palliative care to terminally Ill patients: a survey of primary care physicians. J Pain Symptom Manage 28: 364–372

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barclay S, Todd C, Grande G, Lipscombe J (1997) How common is medical training in palliative care? A postal survey of general practitioners. Br J Gen Pract 47: 800–804

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Butler D (1994) Palliative care in general practice – a new initiative. Eur J Palliat Care 1: 8–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastaugh A, Higginson I, Webb D (1998) Palliative care communication workshops for GPs and DNs. Educ Gen Pract 9: 331–336

    Google Scholar 

  • Weimann A (2005) Ernährungstherapie beim Tumorpatienten – "am Anfang zu wenig, am Ende zu viel". Wien Klin Wochenschr 117 (19–20): 663–665

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rapin CH, Weber A (1991) Palliative care: training needs, developments difficulties and perspectives. Palliat Medicine 5: 222–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macleod RD, Nash A (1991) Teaching palliative care in general practice: a survey of educational needs and preferences. J Palliat Care 7: 9–12

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, S.U.K., Curriculum Pflegehelfer und Ergänzungscurricula. 1991, Österreichisches Bundesinstitut für Gesundheitswesen (ÖBIG): Wien

  • Pflegehilfe – Ausbildungsverordnung, in 13. Bundesgesetzblatt II, 1999

  • Esteva Canto M, Llobera Canaves J, Miralles Xamena J, Bauza Amengual ML (2000) Management of terminal cancer patients: attitudes and training needs of primary health care doctors and nurses. Support Care Cancer 8: 464–471

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grande GE, Barclay SI, Todd CJ (1997) Difficulty of symptom control and general practitioners' knowledge of patients' symptoms. Palliat Med 11: 399–406

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wakefield MA, Beilby J, Ashby MA (1993) General practitioners and palliative care. Palliat Med 7: 117–126

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • König P (2005) Peritonealdialyse – Bedeutung psychosozialer Aspekte bei der Indikationsstellung. Wien Klin Wochenschr 117 [Suppl 6]: 5–11

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sibbald B, Addington-Hall J, Brenneman D, Freeling P (1994) Telephone versus postal surveys of general practitioners: methodological considerations. Br J Gen Pract 44: 297–300

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Heberlein TA, Baumgartner R (1978) Factors affecting response rates to mailed questionnaires: a quantitative analysis of the published literature. Am Soc Rev 43: 447–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goyder JC (1982) Further evidence on factors affecting response rates to mailed questionnaires. Am Soc Rev 47: 550–553

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Data from Austrian Department of Health (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit) and Austrian Chamber of Physicians (Ärztekammer Österreich)

  • Saunders Y, Ross JR, Riley R (2003) Planning for a good death: responding to unexpected events. Br Med J 327: 204–206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Addington-Hall J, McCarthy M (1995) Dying from caner: results of a national population-based investigation. Palliat Medicine 9: 295–305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cartwright A, Hockey L, Anderson JL (1973) Life before death. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez de Maturana A, Morago V, San Emeterio E, Gorostiza J, Arrate AO (1993) Attitudes of general practitioners in Bizkaia, Spain, towards the terminally ill patients. Palliat Medicine 7 (1): 39–45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Palliative Care Research Group, University Hospital of Freiburg, Freiburg i. Br., Germany

    Gerhild Becker & Felix Momm

  2. Austrian Red Cross, Province of Styria, Graz, Austria

    Annemarie Gigl

  3. External consultant for Socioscientific Studies, Methodology and Statistics, Graz, Austria

    Brigitte Wagner

  4. Steiermärkische Krankenanstaltenges.m.b.H., Medical Directorate, Coordination Palliative Care Styria, Graz, Austria

    Johann Baumgartner

Authors
  1. Gerhild Becker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Felix Momm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Annemarie Gigl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Brigitte Wagner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Johann Baumgartner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Johann Baumgartner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Becker, G., Momm, F., Gigl, A. et al. Competency and educational needs in palliative care. Wien Klin Wochenschr 119, 112–116 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-006-0724-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-006-0724-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation