Abstract
BackgroundThe evaluation of the effectiveness of undergraduate palliative care education (UPCE) programs is an essential foundation to providing high-quality UPCE programs. Therefore, the implementation of valid evaluation tools is indispensable. Until today, there has been no general consensus regarding concrete outcome parameters and their accurate measurement. The Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice Questionnaire (German Revised Version; PCEP-GR) is a promising assessment tool for UPCE. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of PCEP-GR and to demonstrate its feasibility for the evaluation of UPCE programs.MethodsThe practical feasibility of the PCEP-GR and its acceptance in medical students were investigated in a pilot study with 24 undergraduate medical students at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Germany. Subsequently, the PCEP-GR was surveyed in a representative sample (N = 680) of medical students in order to investigate its psychometric properties. Factorial validity was investigated by means of principal component analysis (PCA). Reliability was examined by means of split-half-reliability analysis and analysis of internal consistency. After taking into consideration the PCA and distribution analysis results, an evaluation instruction for the PCEP-GR was developed.ResultsThe PCEP-GR proved to be feasible and well-accepted in medical students. PCA revealed a four-factorial solution indicating four PCEP-GR subscales: preparation to provide palliative care,attitudes towards palliative care,self-estimation of competence in communication with dying patients and their relatives and self-estimation of knowledge and skills in palliative care.The PCEP-GR showed good split-half-reliability and acceptable to good internal consistency of subscales. Attitudes towards palliative care slightly missed the criterion of acceptable internal consistency. The evaluation instruction suggests a global PCEP-GR index and four subscales.ConclusionsThe PCEP-GR has proven to be a feasible, economic, valid and reliable tool for the assessment of UPCE that comprises self-efficacy expectation and relevant attitudes towards palliative care.
Highlights
The evaluation of the effectiveness of undergraduate palliative care education (UPCE) programs is an essential foundation to providing high-quality UPCE programs
In Germany, palliative care was integrated into the Medical Licensure Act for Physicians (ÄAppO) in 2009 and palliative care education for undergraduate medical students was subsequently incorporated into medical education curricula [2, 3]
In order to demonstrate its feasibility for the evaluation of undergraduate palliative care education and to contribute to the aim of the application of validated assessment tools in UPCE program evaluation, the current study aims to provide data concerning the application and practicality, as well as the factorial structure, validity and reliability of the Palliative Care Education and Practice questionnaire (PCEP)-GR questionnaire
Summary
The evaluation of the effectiveness of undergraduate palliative care education (UPCE) programs is an essential foundation to providing high-quality UPCE programs. The number of structured palliative care programs in medical education curricula is increasing [1]. Since 2013, there has been a formal obligation to teach and assess undergraduate medical students in palliative care skills and knowledge. There is an international [4] and national [5] consensus regarding palliative care curricula including recommendations on the structures and processes of medical undergraduate education and the enhancement of its quality. There is still evidence for limited knowledge in undergraduate medical students in Germany concerning palliative care [6,7,8,9]. The major part of undergraduate medical education in palliative care is focused on teaching factual knowledge rather than on imparting affective and communication skills
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