The Need for Improved End-Of-Life Care Medical Education: Causes, Consequences, and Strategies for Enhancement and Integration

Rahim Hirani, New York Medical College School of Medicine, Valhalla, NY, United States.
Hassan Khuram, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Aria Elahi, The Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine at The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States.
Parker Alan Maddox, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Maya Pandit, New York Medical College School of Medicine, Valhalla, NY, United States.
Ali Issani, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Mill Etienne, New York Medical College School of Medicine, Valhalla, NY, United States.

Abstract

End-of-life (EOL) care is a unique area of medicine that emphasizes holistic patient-centered care. It requires clinicians to consider a patients' mental, emotional, spiritual, social and physical comforts and engage patients and their families in complex discussions and decisions. It is an area of medicine that requires sensitivity in communication in order to respond to a wide range of emotions from patients and their families. Given these intricacies, it is essential that healthcare professional trainees are exposed early in their careers so they can be better equipped to address EOL situations effectively. While many medical schools have integrated this important element in pre-clinical education, a formalized and standardized curriculum could allow for students to better engage in EOLcare scenarios that they will face as future physicians. In this editorial, we discuss potential strategies to incorporate EOL care didactics and experiential learning earlier in medical education as well as the consequences of inadequate EOL care education, particularly in medical schools, in its current state.