The need of pediatric palliative care education among pediatric postgraduates in South India.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the status of Pediatric Palliative care education among the pediatric postgraduates in South India and reinforce the need to introduce a targeted curriculum to improve their skills and confidence levels in handling terminally ill children.

METHODS

The study was conducted in a 2 d workshop attended by 180 pediatric postgraduates from South India. An 18 point questionnaire was given to the participants and the questions were to test their clinical knowledge and confidence levels in treating terminally ill children. SPSS 18.V software was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Eighty eight percent of the postgraduates had never received any training in any aspect of palliative care. 77.3 % felt uncomfortable in initiating a discussion about palliative care with the family members. 60.7 % were not comfortable with the care of the dying patient. 87.3 % strongly supported that a formal training in palliative care would improve their competence in this field.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a huge lacunae in the delivery of palliative care services and hence an urgent need to inculcate targeted curriculum to provide focused skills and training for the pediatric postgraduates.