Quality indicators in undergraduate palliative medicine education: a scoping review

Palliative care education in undergraduate medical curricula has historically lacked structured outcomes and measurable indicators, resulting in significant variability in the knowledge, skills and confidence that junior doctors possess. This scoping review, conducted in accordance with the JBI Guidelines, aimed to map the evidence on potential quality indicators (QIs) for palliative medicine education in the UK. A scoping review was conducted using the JBI methodology. Online databases (Medline, Embase, Emcare and CENTRAL) and grey literature sources were searched for relevant papers. The inclusion criteria were studies that involved undergraduate medical students or foundation-year doctors, focused on quality assessment in palliative care education, set in the UK, and published in English between February 2022 and March 2026. Data extraction and narrative synthesis were used to develop key themes, from which measurable QI statements were formulated. The PRISMA-Scr guidelines were followed in reporting this review. Ten publications were included. Analysis identified six thematic areas: (1) compulsory palliative care education in curricula, (2) mandatory assessment, (3) simulation-based education, (4) inter- and multi-disciplinary team (MDT) working, (5) clinical placements in palliative care settings, and (6) the use of e-learning and IT. From these themes, six measurable QIs were developed and structured using the Donabedian framework. The collated evidence highlights the need for a standardised, robust approach to palliative medicine teaching. The proposed QIs provide a practical, measurable framework for curriculum development and quality assurance. Future work should focus on piloting these indicators and evaluating their impact on the preparation of undergraduate doctors for practice.