BUS ROUNDS FOR PALLIATIVE CARE EDUCATION IN THE COMMUNITY

INCREASINGLY, PATIENTS WITH CANCER are dying at home and in continuing care facilities. The purpose of bus rounds is to provide continuing e ducation to physicians and nurse palliative care consultants, to famil iarize family physicians with the delivery of care in these settings a nd to educate family medicine and specialty residents as well as medic al students. A total of 18 4-hour bus rounds took place during 1996. A mean of 13 (range 9 to 17) participants attended, to discuss a mean o f 3.5 (range 2 to 4) patients and 4.5 (range 3 to 8) journal articles. A questionnaire was filled out anonymously by 18 first-time medical a nd 24 first-time nursing participants. On a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), they gave the rounds an overall rating of 5 (range 4 to 5). Th e mean cost per round was $245.40. The authors conclude that bus round s provide an opportunity for intensive exposure to community-based lea rning for physicians, nurses and students and are highly satisfactory from the participants' perspective.