An international survey of undergraduate medical education in palliative medicine

A 9-item mail survey dealing with availability and characteristics of under graduate medical education programs in palliative medicine was sent to all medical schools in Canada (16) and the United Kingdom (UK) (30), and 129 ra ndomly selected medical schools in the United States (US) and Western Europ e. The overall response rate was 117/175 (67%). The highest percentage of m andatory (required by the university) rotations in palliative medicine was in the UK medical schools (14/22 64 %). Considerably lowe numbers were obta ined from the other countries: US; 4/37, 11 %, Canada; 2/14, 14 %, and West ern Europe; 8/43, 19 % (P = 0.001). Elective rotations in palliative medici ne were more readily available in the UK; 18/22, 82 % and Canada; 10/14, 71 %, compared with the US; 23/37, 62 %, and Western Europe 13/43 30 % (P = 0 .001). Seventy-two percent (13/18) of UK, 70 % (7/10) of Canadian, 59 % (16 /27) of US, and 9/30 (30 %) of Western European medical schools provide edu cational reading material in palliative medicine (P = 0.014). Case-based le arning in small groups and small group discussion were favored by the UK, 1 4/22 (63 %) and 17/22 (77 %), respectively and Canadian medical schools, 8/ 14 (57 %) and 8/14 (57 %), respectively (P = 0.176). The number of 2 univer sities with academic faculty positions for palliative medicine and the medi an number of positions for the countries were as follows-Canada 8/13 (62 %) and 2; UK 12/22 (55 %) and 1; US 5/36 (14 %) and 1; and Western Europe 9/2 4 (21%) and 1, respectively (P = 0.001). Besides the UK mandatory (required ) rotations in undergraduate palliative medicine education are lacking in C anadian, US, and Western European medical schools. The median number of 1 a cademic faculty member per responding medical school is discouraging: In or der for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in palliative medi cine to improve the number of both educational programs and facility member s will need to be increased. J Pain Symptom Manage 2000;20:174-179. (C) U.S . Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 2000.