EDUCATIONAL-OBJECTIVES FOR MEDICAL-TRAINING IN THE CARE OF THE TERMINALLY ILL

Background. Palliative medicine is developing as a distinct clinical d iscipline worldwide. The U.S. literature describes goals for education in palliative medicine, yet this literature lacks validated education al objectives. Method. To develop and validate appropriate educational objectives for medical training in the care of the terminally ill, 20 0 randomly selected members of the Academy of Hospice Physicians were asked in 1992 to evaluate 39 educational objectives by an item-objecti ve congruence procedure. Each objective was rated as -1 (inappropriate ), 0 (unsure), or 1 (appropriate). Results. Of the 200 members surveye d, 127 (64%) responded. Of the 39 objectives, 34 were considered valid , with a mean score of greater-than-or-equal-to 8. The index of conten t validity was .87. The objectives not considered valid all dealt with nonmedical issues related to hospice or palliative care. Conclusion. This study validated 34 educational objectives for medical training in the care of the terminally ill. Training programs using these objecti ves, amended for specific audiences, should be included in the various levels of U.S. medical education.