Death Education Research Articles

Curriculum Needs of Higher Education Students Regarding Death Education in Mainland China: A Scoping Review

Curriculum Needs of Higher Education Students Regarding Death Education in Mainland China: A Scoping Review

Facing Death: Should Death Education Be Taught to Chinese Youth as a Controversial Issue?

Facing Death: Should Death Education Be Taught to Chinese Youth as a Controversial Issue?

Education and Simulation Outcomes of Death and Dying Perceptions of RT Students

Education and Simulation Outcomes of Death and Dying Perceptions of RT Students

A Machine Learning Model for Lightning-Related Deaths in Brazil

Abstract Brazil presents the highest number of lightning-related deaths in the world. This study aimed to identify the key victims’ characteristics associated with such fatalities in Brazil and to develop a model that predicts the number of deaths as function of the victims’ data. The dataset provided by the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System in Brazil (DATASUS) was analyzed and machine learning regression techniques were applied. The gradien-boosting regressor (GBR) model was found to be the most effective, achieving a prediction accuracy of 97%. Through the analysis of 34 initial variables, 10 variables were identified as having the greatest influence on the model’s outcomes. These variables included race, gender, age group, occupational accidents, education, and location of death. Understanding these characteristics is crucial for implementing targeted prevention and safety strategies in various regions, helping to mitigate the risk of lightning-related deaths worldwide. Additionally, the methodology used in this study can serve as a framework for similar research in different locations, allowing for the identification of important factors specific to each region. By adapting the machine learning regression techniques and incorporating local datasets, researchers can gain valuable insights into the determinants of lightning-related fatalities, enabling the development of effective prevention and safety measures tailored to specific geographical areas. Significance Statement This study presents a machine learning approach using the gradient-boosting regressor (GBR) method to estimate the weekly number of lightning-related deaths with an impressive 97% prediction accuracy. The research includes a comprehensive analysis of various factors, such as race, gender, age group, occupational accidents, education, and location of death, providing valuable insights for targeted preventive strategies and safety measures. The findings significantly contribute to understanding lightning-related fatalities in Brazil. The proposed machine learning model demonstrates a robust and accurate fit to the data, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of patterns and underlying trends in lightning fatalities.

A study of death education for nursing students: scoping review

A study of death education for nursing students: scoping review

DEATH AND DYING EDUCATION IN US MEDICAL SCHOOLS: A SCOPING REVIEW

Abstract With an aging population, knowledge about death, dying, loss, grief, and end-of-life (EOL) care is an essential skill for most physicians. However, EOL education has been minimally incorporated into medical school curricula in the United States (U.S.); there is a significant need to better prepare medical students for the unique challenges of improving patient wellbeing at end-of-life. To understand how death and dying topics have been incorporated into U.S. medical school education, we conducted a systematic scoping review, using PRISMA guidelines, of published research on death education for medical students between 2010 through 2022. An initial search in EMBASE and PubMed yielded 3,443 citations; 265 articles met the initial inclusion criteria (e.g., research-based, EOL education specific), with 97 articles selected for full-text review. Overall, we found significant variation in the type and content of EOL training in U.S. medical schools. Using a competency-based medical education framework that reflects tangible knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a guide to ensure proper EOL training, a deductive coding approach yielded several themes including: reliance on brief, skills-based workshop interventions and limited longitudinal integration into curricula; general research on student attitudes and wellbeing; and an emphasis on needs assessments highlighting gaps in evidence-based EOL training interventions. Using these findings, we offer applied considerations for teaching EOL related skills in U.S. medical schools. In turn, this work contributes to the enhancement of health across the lifespan and might ultimately lead to a society where a “good death” is not an exception, but a reality.

NUDGING ATTITUDE CHANGE THROUGH EXPERIENCE: UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULAR INNOVATIONS

Abstract Drawing students into gerontology and geriatrics remains a perennial challenge in light of negative stereotypes and ageism deeply entrenched in society. Nonetheless, instructors continue to forge ahead with curricular innovations designed to dismantle stereotypes, promote deeper understanding of the later stage of life, cultivate appreciation for the contributions of older adults, and entice students to consider further academic, extracurricular, and vocational opportunities in the field. This symposium brings together scholars and instructors who have implemented and evaluated course innovations with these goals in mind. The first presentation reviews findings from the Bringing Art to Life program that pairs teams of undergraduate students with persons with dementia attending an adult day services program and engaging in structured art therapy and reminiscence. The next presenter describes positive attitude change about aging among undergraduates in an advanced public health service-learning course. Next is a discussion of how health policy education has been successfully built into an undergraduate adult development and aging course. The fourth presentation summarizes results from a randomized educational intervention to undergraduate students to enhance death education and ensure more equitable access to quality end-of-life services and supports. The final presentation describes innovations in training MSTEM undergraduate students in aging. A Discussant will synthesize themes across presentations and engage session attendees to respond and share their own curricular experiences.

Exploring the Possibility of Death Education through Literature from the Perspective of Medical Humanities

The purpose of this study is to examine the possibility of medical humanities from the perspective of death literature and to explore educational possibilities. In this study, the possibility of medical humanities from the perspective of death literature was considered by dividing it into the effect of death education in poetry, the effect of death education in novels, and the effect of death education in essays. As a result, the possibility of death education using poetry seems to be key to triggering the imagination related to the experiences of students through the medium of death poetry implied in symbolic language. The possibility of death education using novels seems to be meaningful in indirectly experiencing life and death by using the characteristics of transitional experience of novels and having them worry about the true meaning and value of life. The possibility of death education using essays is that they can utilize the characteristics of empathic experiences of essays. Essays contain actual events rather than fiction and are expected to be effective in education on death because they present the author's direct experience and accompanying emotions. In conclusion, this study is meaningful in suggesting the application of medical humanities education that integrates and improves the direction of death education as human-centered medicine based on clinical and medical science as a humanistic understanding of death.

Death education: a must for Chinese children

Death education: a must for Chinese children

Bereavement and Critical Incidents Involving Healthcare Professionals in Italy During COVID-19: The Importance of the Spiritual Dimension

This exploratory research investigated the work of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the major critical aspects, including healthcare providers’ needs as well as personal, professional, and social changes brought about by the pandemic upon both living and dying. In general, for many healthcare providers, the changes imposed by COVID-19 together with their inadequate training led to an excessive emotional load that caused high levels of stress and, consequently, the risk of burnout. In the present study, we wanted to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare professionals and to explore if and how spirituality influenced their experience. We adopted a qualitative methodological design based on interpretative phenomenological analysis. The respondents were 15 healthcare professionals (12 general practitioners, 1 physician, and 2 nurses). This research was carried out in Italy during the first lockdown, that is, between March and September 2020. Following the analysis of participants’ experiences, four main themes were created: (1) critical issues in healthcare, critical incidents, and changes in the attitudes and habits of general practitioners during the pandemic; (2) emotional experiences and primary needs during the emergency; (3) dying during the pandemic and new psychological symptoms in noninfected patients; and (4) resilience and the role of spirituality. Since healthcare professionals, and general practitioners more specifically, were extensively exposed to the dying process and to changes in the end-of-life scenario, the support offered by palliative care is desirable, in terms of both the special skills that palliative physicians can provide and the presence of psychologists as well as through death education.

Qur’an course teachers’ views on death education for children aged 4–6

The aim of this study is to examine the views of teachers who teach Qur’an courses to 4–6 year-olds on the inclusion of death in the curriculum, their observations about children’s perceptions of and reactions to death, and the difficulties they experience while informing children about death. A qualitative research approach was adopted in the study. The data obtained from 41 teachers the interview form with were evaluated using descriptive analysis. According to the teachers, the inclusion of the phenomenon of death in the course curriculum for 4–6 year-olds is essential for satisfying the curiosity of children from a correct source. However, due to the multidimensional, deep and unexperienced nature of the death phenomenon, a clear answer has not yet been given to the question of the framework and limit of the explanations, and what and how much should be explained for whom.

Journey to inpatient hospice care: A qualitative study on the decision-making process of Chinese family caregivers of persons with terminal cancer

ObjectiveTo understand family caregivers’ decision-making process to place their family members with terminal cancer in inpatient hospice care, especially in the social-cultural contexts whereby the caregivers have a dominant say about the care of their seriously ill family members. MethodsA qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was undertaken to understand the lived experience of caregivers of persons with terminal cancer in the decision-making process. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 17 caregivers in Shanghai, China. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. ResultsThe caregivers underwent a winding and socioculturally mediated four-stage process. The stages are (i) trigger for alternatives: lost hope for a cure, (ii) meandering the see-saw process, (iii) the last straws: physical limitations and witnessing unbearable suffering, and (iv) the aftermath: acceptance versus lingering hope. Caregivers’ attitudes towards death and their family members with advanced cancer expressed care wishes influence the state of the aftermath. ConclusionsChinese sociocultural values and beliefs about caregiving and death provide insightful explanations for the observed process. Practical implicationsTraining healthcare professionals in cultural competence, developing an effective hospice referral system, and delivering socioculturally acceptable death education are critical interventions to facilitate better decision-making experiences.

Impact of Teaching Palliative Psychology with Psychodrama and Arts Therapies on Psychology Students in Klagenfurt.

The Erasmus+ project "Death Education for Palliative Psychology" (DE4PP) under the coordination of the University of Padua investigated the effects of teaching palliative psychology with psychodrama and arts therapies, as positive effects on students' attitudes towards life and death were suspected through the use of these forms of treatment. Five countries participated in this project funded by the European Commission (Austria, Israel, Italy, Poland, and Romania). In Klagenfurt (Austria), 34 students from the University of Klagenfurt completed the pilot course entitled "Palliative Psychology" generated by the project partners. Course participants filled out psychological and satisfaction questionnaires at the beginning and end of the course, to measure the impact of teaching palliative psychology with psychodrama and arts therapies. The research involved a control group. In addition, six participants in the course participated in a focus group interview at the end, which included questions about their experience of the course; the impact of arts therapies and psychodrama techniques; experiences of verbal and artistic processing of death anxiety; and the meaning of life and death, representation of death, and associated feelings. The results, in summary, showed that processing of life and death had occurred in the participants due to the course they had completed. As part of the course, creative arts and psychodrama were bridges to death. Filling out satisfaction questionnaires, photovoice assignments, role reversal, and visualizing a personal social atom were seen by students in Klagenfurt as particularly effective methods for self-reflection.

Effects of a death education based on narrative pedagogy in a palliative care course among Chinese nursing students.

Death education has been confirmed to be an effective method to enhance nursing students' attitudes and coping abilities toward death. However, integrated Narrative Pedagogy into the death education to explore educational effectiveness is still limited. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of a death education based on Narrative Pedagogy in a palliative care course on the attitude toward death, coping with death, and attitude toward caring for the dying among undergraduate nursing students in China. The study was designed as a pre-post intervention study with a quasi-experimental design. All the participants received 6 class hours of death education which was designed in a palliative care course. The death education includes preparation, presentation, discussion, reflection, and practice of the narrative materials. Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R), Coping with Death Scale (CDS), and Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying-Form B (FATCOD-Form B) were used to measure outcomes. Sixty undergraduate nursing students who consented. There were statistically significant increases in the mean score of neutral acceptance and approach acceptance in the DAP-R, CDS, and FATCOD-Form B before and after the intervention. This death education integrated Narrative Pedagogy which indicated to improve attitude toward death, competence to cope with death, and attitude toward the care of dying patients. The findings assist teachers in understanding the importance and urgency of death education, as well as providing a favorable approach to death education. However, the long-term effectiveness still needs to study in further.

Death education for undergraduate nursing students in the China Midwest region: An exploratory analysis.

The purpose of this study was to comprehend the need for incorporating death education within the curriculum of undergraduate nursing students and to assess the factors that impact the desire for such education. We enlisted undergraduate nursing students from several nursing colleges located in the central and west region of China. Undergraduate students who fulfilled the eligibility criteria between January and February 2021 were chosen to participate. Data were collected via an online platform called Questionnaire Star. The survey encompassed a general information questionnaire and a scale for assessing the need for education on the topic of death. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 20.0 software, while multivariate stepwise regression was employed for more complex analysis. Statistical significance was indicated when the p-value was below 0.05, and high statistical significance was noted when the p-value fell below 0.01. We designed a descriptive quantitative approach to investigate the need for death education and its associated factors. The research involved 907 undergraduate nursing students from the central and west region of China. The data collection was done through the Questionnaire Star platform. Following the collection of completed surveys, individuals displaying contradictory responses were omitted. Out of 911 surveys disseminated, 907 were successfully collected, resulting in a recovery rate of 99.6%. Among the participants, 769 identified as female, constituting 84.8% of the total, while 138 identified as male, making up 15.2%. The survey findings indicated that factors such as residency, parental educational history and exposure to hospice care education significantly impacted the need for death education among undergraduate nurses (p < 0.05). Among students pursuing a nursing degree at the undergraduate level, there was a pronounced need for education related to the topic of death. Offering such education to these students is essential, as it helps cultivate a proper understanding of death. This, in turn, contributes to enhancing the overall quality of patient care throughout their life journey. A total of 907 nursing undergraduates from central and western China participated in the questionnaire.

Effects of online-offline integrated death education on patients with advanced cancer: A before-and-after study

PurposeTo evaluate the effectiveness of the constructed OOIDE intervention in patients with advanced cancer. MethodIn this study, patients were invited to participate in a 4-week OOIDE intervention. The assessment of patients' ability to cope with death was conducted using a scale in conjunction with interviews. Additionally, patients' 'readiness to die' was assessed. ResultsThirty-two patients with advanced cancer participated in this study. Our intervention significantly enhanced their perspective on life and spirituality, while also reducing their fear of death (P < 0.01). Furthermore, it facilitated their acceptance of death, encouraged a more rational approach to their illness, and fostered an understanding of hospice care, thereby reinforcing their sense of self-worth. Additionally, the intervention improved the relationship between the patient and their families, fostering greater mutual understanding and respect for the patient's perspectives. Comparing the results to the pre-intervention period, there was a significant increase in the number of patients who discussed death with their families and contemplated the place of their passing (P < 0.05). ConclusionOOIDE improves participants' ability to confront death, while also assisting patients' families in the physical and psychological preparations for the loss of their relative.

122.1: Incorporating the concept of organ donation into life and death education applying the eastern-derived and conceptualized tenets.

122.1: Incorporating the concept of organ donation into life and death education applying the eastern-derived and conceptualized tenets.

An analysis of student bucket lists in death and dying courses: data from three U.S. Universities

ABSTRACT This article describes and analyzes the use of a bucket list assignment in three undergraduate university Death and Dying courses as a way to teach students about death, while also learning about this generation’s aspirations and anxieties related to dying. The Death and Dying professors at three different universities, each using a similar assignment, require students to create their own bucket lists, or a list of things they want to complete before they die. Analyses of 146 lists, containing a total of 2,210 list items, revealed similarities across these different student populations, primarily in their focus on travel, spending time with loved ones, and an interesting lack of concern for end-of-life preparations. The results of this study have implications for death education and health care providers, supporting previous scholarship on death anxiety and death transcendence.

Exploring Emotions Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic through Death Education: A Qualitative Study at Italian Primary Schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of individuals, families, and children worldwide. In Italy, the implementation of measures such as lockdowns and distance learning in schools affected the mental health of children and families. This article employs a qualitative method to explore the efficacy of a death education project that aimed to help primary school children process the emotions and losses that they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study encompassed both the children who took part in the death education project and their teachers and parents to investigate their perspectives on the emotions of the minors and the effectiveness of the project. Distance learning posed challenges for the learning process and exacerbated social inequalities. The children suffered from limited social contact with their friends and experienced negative emotions, including anger, fear, and concern for the health of their loved ones. The death education project provided a safe space for children's emotional expression and facilitated their acquisition of coping strategies. Open communication between adults and children about illness and death proved effective in mitigating the psychological impacts of loss and preventing traumatic bereavement. The findings highlight the utility of death education in enhancing children's ability to express their emotions and approach the topic of death more frankly.

تہذیبِ نفس کے اسلامی اصول:تحقیقی و تجزیاتی مطالعہ

It is a bit difficult to determine the principles of purification of soul in this way, because its principles are numerous. However, there is one thing in common among the excess of principles, that among the principles that are detailed, there are also summary principles. Due to which, the principles of purification of soul Familiarity with rules and regulations is possible. Self refers to that force which is the source of thoughts. Self is the source of thoughts and feelings. Therefore, the thoughts of goodness and evil also begin from here. The first thought arises in the self of man. Later, the same thought takes the form of intention and actions are created by intention. It is as if there is no idea, then no action is created by man. The self exists as a test and trial in the universe. It is always ready to mislead a person. If a person follows the idea created in the mind, then he will be caught in the net of the self, while if he follows the decision of the heart, then common sense will be included in it. Due to which a person will be inclined to do good instead of evil. Self-improvement refers to the immaterial source of thoughts in a person, i.e., purifying the self from bad morals and sins and making oneself a manifestation of pure morals. Self-improvement. Among the principles of repentance, fear of God, asceticism, patience, gratitude, sincerity, trust, love, education, contentment and fear of death are mentioned in this article.