Family Medicine
End of Life Content
- Required Reading – Book Chapter – “Care of the Dying Patient”
- Course competencies are outlined as follows :
- Medical Knowledge – Assess and manage acute and chronic medical issues frequently encountered in the family practice setting. These include Care of the Dying Patient
- Communication Skills – Students completing the Family Medicine Clerkship will be able to effectively communicate with patients and their families, including end of life issues
- Patient Care – Students completing the Family Medicine Clerkship will be able to provide personal care for individuals and families as the physician of first contact and continuing care in health as well as illness and end of life issues.
- Incorporate nonpharmacologic, behavioral approaches in the management plans of common chronic illnesses as well as end of life issues
Assessment
Questions on final exam
End of Life Curriculum Goals and Objectives Addressed
Goal #1 Medical Knowledge
Students must demonstrate knowledge about the medical aspects of death and dying, as well as the skills and attitudes necessary to use this knowledge effectively as a physician. Our students will know:
- death is a natural part of the life cycle
- the concepts and philosophy of palliative care
- normal and complicated bereavement and grief reactions
Goal #2 Communication Skills
Students must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of communication and the skills and attitudes that allow effective interactions with patients, families, healthcare workers, and others who affect the well-being of patients at the end of life.
- elicit, record, and present a whole patient assessment for a person with a life-threatening illness
- demonstrate appropriate skills and strategies for communication of goals of care with patients and their families (e.g. living will, DNR, donor programs)
- demonstrate an understanding of the impact of life-threatening illness on patients and their families
- demonstrate appropriate skills and strategies for communication during difficult situation, such as giving bad news
- demonstrate appropriate skills and strategies for developing advance directives with patients and their families
Goal #3 Professionalism
Students must demonstrate a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to function as a member of the health care team caring for the dying.
- identify the major obligations of physicians to their patients at the end of life
Goal #4 Patient Care
Students must use their knowledge, skills, and attitudes to provide patient care at the end of life that is appropriate, effective, and sensitive to the psychological, sociologic, cultural, and spiritual aspects of death and dying
- develop and implement a care plan for patients when cure is no longer a rational goals and health services are most appropriately directed at comfort
- develop a care plan responsive to the various environments in which end of life and palliative treatment are provided and recognize the advantages and disadvantages of the environment
- apply knowledge to effectively evaluate and manage the most common physical symptoms encountered at the end of life
Goal #5 Practice Based and Lifelong Learning:
Students should demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to be able to begin to evaluate their method of practice, use appropriate tools of evidence to analyze clinical practice, and understand concepts of quality in healthcare and quality improvement for patients and their families at the end of life.
- demonstrate and awareness of information resources for providers, patients and families
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