Palliative Care Education in US Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Programs: Current Practices, Perceived Needs, and Barriers

• Published in: Journal of palliative medicine Vol. 26; no. 8; p. 1128
• Main Authors: Yeh, Jonathan C, Ambady, Leena, Lewis, Ryan, Mehta, Ambereen K, Asher, Arash, Raj, Vishwa S, Engle, Jessica P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2023
• Subjects: medical education; palliative care; physiatry
• ISSN: 1557-7740
• DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0606

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) clinicians commonly care for patients with serious illness/injury and would benefit from primary palliative care (PC) training. To assess current practices, attitudes, and barriers toward PC education among U.S. PM&R residencies. This is a cross-sectional study utilizing an electronic 23-question survey. Subjects were program leaders from U.S. PM&R residency programs. Twenty-one programs responded (23% response). Only 14 (67%) offered PC education through lectures, elective rotations, or self-directed reading. Pain management, communication, and nonpain symptom management were identified as the most important PC domains for residents. Nineteen respondents (91%) felt residents would benefit from more PC education, but only five (24%) reported undergoing curricular change. Lack of faculty availability/expertise and teaching time were the most endorsed barriers. PC education is heterogeneous across PM&R programs despite its perceived value. PC and PM&R educators can collaborate to build faculty expertise and integrate PC principles into existing curricula.