Summary:
Background: Given the growing number of chronic diseases that require interdisciplinary support, the needs and complex situations in palliative care (PC) are increasing. These phenomena also provide opportunities for pedagogical innovation. This study determined and defined the interprofessional PC core and profession-specific competencies that should be trained during the undergraduate interprofessional PC curriculum. Methods: Taking advantage of the implementation of a new study plan at the Faculty of Medicine in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Geneva University of Health, a new interprofessional curriculum was designed. First, a working group, including experts in PC and pedagogy, was formed, and they worked on an interprofessional PC curriculum. Subsequently, the experts defined the curriculum with the specific subjects to be covered and the learning objectives. The final curriculum was operationalized into the following competencies: specific versus interprofessional. Furthermore, the experts determined the most appropriate teaching methods and integrated them into existing courses. Results: To implement the curriculum, mobility between faculty members was encouraged, and an online platform was shared among them. This interprofessional curriculum integrates common and specific pedagogical objectives concerning the roles and responsibilities of each profession. Five frequent clinical situations, “clinical decision making”; “care plan respecting the values of the patient and his family”; “care of a dying patient”; “management of refractory symptoms”; and “supporting the caregivers,” were chosen to be the curriculum’s basis. Conclusion: Emblematic clinical situations comprising the basis of the curriculum highlight the importance of clinical decision making, providing respectful end-of-life care, managing refractory symptoms, and supporting caregivers. This curriculum will prepare health care professionals to face the complex challenges of interdisciplinary PC by providing them with a shared palliative culture.
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