Efectos de un programa de formacion en cuidados paliativos sobre el afrontamiento de la muerte

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate a training program in palliative care for Health Science students using Bugen's Coping with Death Scale. MethodQuasi-experimental research. A training program was designed for future health professionals (nursing, medicine, psychology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy). Students’ participation was voluntary. The sole selection criterion was not having previous training in palliative care. The course duration was 45hours over 15 weeks from October 2008 to February 2009. A total of 90 participants started the program, and 87 completed it (three stopped attending). Bugen's Coping with Death Scale was filled in by all participants both at the beginning and at the end of the program in order to establish their coping skills before and after the program. ResultsOf the 87 participants, 74% were female, with the rest being male. The mean age was 21.35 years. Most participants were nurses (64%), followed by occupational therapy (23.6%), psychology (5.6%), and finally medicine and physiotherapy (2.2%). A clear difference could be observed in coping skills before and after the program (p=.000). Before the training program the average score was 121.46 ± 19.7, while after the course it was 158.16 ± 20.6. The Scale's minimum score is 30, the maximum being 210. Values below 105 (percentile 50) indicate inadequate coping and values above 147 (percentile 70) indicate adequate coping. ConclusionsAccording to the results it can be said that this training program dramatically improves coping skills of future professionals in Health Sciences. The literature reviewed indicates that good coping skills allow health professionals to offer better care to patients in end of life processes.