Effect of end-of-life care teaching on the attitude of medical students to death

Abstract

Aim: We conducted a national survey to examine how programs to teach end-of-life care to medical students in Japanese medical schools influence their death attitude. Methods: Sixteen medical schools participated. We conducted a questionnaire survey on fifth- or sixth-year medical students' death attitude at each medical school. Attitude of death was analyzed by the Death Attitude Inventory formed by Hirai et al, which is composed of seven factors: Afterlife belief, Death anxiety, Death relief, Death avoidance, Life purpose, Death concern, and Supernatural belief. We studied how students' attitude to death relates to programs to teach end-of-life care. Results: Overall 1,017of 1,510 students (67.4%) from the 16 medical schools participated. The students who took a program to teach end-of-life care presented Afterlife belief, Death concern and Supernatural belief score higher than those who did not participate in any program. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted and it was found that those trend disappeared, and the students who took a program had greater Death anxiety significantly higher than those who took no program. Conclusion: We concluded that the attitude of medical students to death was not related to programs to teach end-of-life care in medical schools. Our survey suggested that improving end-of-life care education is needed to mold the attitude of medical students to death.