4
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Student education

Moral issues in day‐to‐day palliative medicine and their relevance for the education of European general practitioners

, , , &
Pages 12-14 | Published online: 01 Oct 2009
 

Abstract

Background. Considerations of moral problems in palliative medicine often deal with extreme situations. This study identified moral issues arising in routine palliative medicine. Their relevance for the education of European general practitioners is assessed. Methods. Consecutive consultations of cancer patients with incurable disease were recorded in three outpatient clinics and one general practice in Belgium. Moral issues were identified by qualitative analysis of verbal transcripts of 30 of these consultations using the grounded‐theory approach. The relevance of these issues for medical education was assessed by interviewing one educator of general practitioners from each of the 15 European Union states. Results. Three core categories of moral issues were identified: telling the truth, patient control versus medical dominance, and handling the patient's life‐world. The practical relevance of these issues was recognized by the educators. The suggested educational methods to deal with these topics were all active learning processes in small‐group settings but varied otherwise. Conclusions. The moral issues identified in day‐to‐day palliative medicine may complement the problems evoked in the literature dealing with more extreme situations. An effort to study the appropriate way for medical education to deal with these topics may be indicated.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.