Using XXXX rounds to improve end-of-life education for internal medicine residents.

@entity1 @entity204
While internal medicine interns provide much of the care to @entity1 dying in the hospital, few report that they have received adequate training in end-of-life care. PURPOSE: To address this perceived lack of training, we undertook a study to evaluate Death Rounds as an educational tool in end-of-life care and to address the emotional needs of trainees providing care to dying @entity1 . DESIGN: We used a behavioral interventional study using a pre-post study design. @entity1 : The study included all internal medicine interns at the University of Washington (n = 62) during the academic year 2007-08. Interns from the 2006-07 academic year (n = 64) received the survey and served as the control group. INTERVENTION: Death Rounds, a one-hour session dedicated to discussion of emotional reactions to @entity1 @entity204 . MAIN MEASURES: We used a 14-item electronic measure with questions directed toward the impact of perceived insufficient end-of-life care and the role of Death Rounds in resident education. KEY RESULTS: Results are drawn from a total of 39 surveys completed by the intervention group, for a response rate of 63%. Seventy-four percent (29) felt that Death Rounds contributed to their education in end-of-life issues. Seventy-two percent (28) reported that Death Rounds was "somewhat" or "very" helpful in improving their comfort with discussing end-of-life issues. Ninety-seven percent (38) of @entity1 thought that having an opportunity to discuss the emotional aspects of @entity1 @entity204 should be included in their training. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that learning to deal with the strong emotions that arise in the care of dying @entity1 is an important part of physician training. Death Rounds provides an opportunity to explore these emotions with colleagues in a supportive environment and is a valuable addition to the resident curriculum.
