End-of-life care in the curriculum in Japan: A national survey of senior medical students

Abstract

Aim: We conducted a national survey of senior medical students' attitudes about end-of-life care teaching programs for undergraduate students of Japanese medical schools from April 2004 to May 2006. Methods: Our questionnaire survey focused on the students' attitudes towards the following end-of-life areas: 1) end-of-life topics, 2) teaching methods, 3) putting theories into practice, and 4) overall end-of-life issue. Results: Overall, 1,039 students from 16 medical schools responded to our survey. The students who took part in the program appreciated the class on communication techniques with dying patients or family members of dying patients. As for the students who did not participate in the program, they expressed the wish to join a class concerning these issues. These students also expressed an interest in visiting hospices or conducting interviews with dying patients as part of their training. Most of the students formulated good opinions toward end-of-life issues, but not toward end-of-life practices. Regardless of whether they joined the program or not, most of the students had a positive attitude towards end-of-life education programs. Conclusion: The survey highlighted the need to consider wider implementation and improvement of end-of-life care education in the Japanese curriculum.