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“The patient as teacher” - thematic analysis of undergraduate medical students’ experiences with an experiential learning project in palliative care

Bibliographic Details
Title: “The patient as teacher” - thematic analysis of undergraduate medical students’ experiences with an experiential learning project in palliative care
Authors: Stocklassa, Stephanie, Block, Susan, Paal, Piret, Elsner, Frank
Source: http://lobid.org/resources/99370673925506441#!, 23(1):239.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: Publisso (ZB MED-Publikationsportal Lebenswissenschaften)
Subject Terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/methods [MeSH], COVID-19, Female [MeSH], Experiential learning, Adult [MeSH], Humans [MeSH], COVID-19/psychology [MeSH], Reflective writing, Undergraduate medical students, Palliative care, Palliative Care/methods [MeSH], Male [MeSH], Students, Medical/psychology [MeSH], Research, Germany [MeSH], Teaching, Problem-Based Learning/methods [MeSH]
Description: Abstract Background Experiential learning holds high potential for medical students’ education in palliative care. At RWTH Aachen University in Germany, medical students can participate in the course “The Patient as Teacher” offering a one-to-one exchange with a terminally ill patient over a period of several weeks complemented with four supervision sessions and writing of a reflective essay. The course had run from 2005 to 2020 before it was paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the course’s value as a palliative care teaching tool by investigating students’ motivation and experiences over the years 2005–2020. Methods A stratified sample of 24 essays was taken from all submitted essays (n = 78), eight essays from the years 2005–2009, 2010–2014, and 2015–2020. Subsequently, a thematic analysis of the selected essays was conducted. Results The students felt motivated by the opportunity to gain more experience in palliative care, to improve their communication skills and to decrease insecurities in interaction with terminally ill patients. They learned about the patient’s biography and medical history, and encountered physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of living with a life-limiting disease. Moreover, they experienced relationship building and communication with a terminally ill patient outside their role as future doctors. Ultimately, they considered their participation as a beneficial experience on both a personal and professional level. Conclusions The course “The Patient as Teacher” presents a valuable tool for experiential ...
Document Type: article in journal/newspaper
Language: English
Relation: https://repository.publisso.de/resource/frl:6521829; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11869552/
DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01570-9
Availability: https://repository.publisso.de/resource/frl:6521829
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-024-01570-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11869552/
Rights: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Accession Number: edsbas.F71889DF
Database: BASE
Description
DOI:10.1186/s12904-024-01570-9