Do Doctors Gain More Confidence from a Longer Palliative Medicine Posting?

BACKGROUND: Doctors report inadequate training and lack confidence in providing palliative care. Although palliative care training improves self-assessed competence, it is not known whether the duration of a palliative medicine (PM) posting affects the extent of improvement in confidence. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether the duration of a PM posting affects the extent of improvement in doctors' confidence in various aspects of palliative care. METHODS: This was a retrospective study analyzing doctors' self-rated competence level in different aspects of palliative care at the start and end of a PM posting. The change in scores was analyzed to determine the extent of improvement corresponding to the length of the posting. Seventy-one residents and medical officers participated in the study, which was conducted in a hospital-based palliative care consultative service. RESULTS: Participants reported low baseline self-rated competence in palliative care. A longer posting duration resulted in a greater improvement in the doctors' confidence across different domains of palliative care, particularly in end-of-life communication. CONCLUSION: A one-month posting may suffice in training a doctor in basic end-of-life medical issues, but a longer posting duration results in a greater improvement in the doctors' confidence across different domains of palliative care, particularly in end-of-life communication. Trainee doctors in specialties that frequently deal with terminally ill patients should undertake a longer posting in PM to be further equipped with greater confidence to better care for these patients.