Resident Education in End-of-Life Communication and Management: Assessing Comfort Level to Enhance Competence and Confidence

Objectives Our primary objective was to understand residents’ baseline comfort with end-of-life (EOL) communication and management and to compare this with their comfort after completion of their surgical intensive care unit (SICU) rotation. We also evaluated the association between prior training with perceived level of comfort with EOL issues, and whether the resident believed in the concept of a “better death.” Design, Setting, Participants As a quality improvement initiative, we conducted surveys of trainees before and after their rotation in the Yale New Haven Hospital SICU. Prerotation and postrotation surveys were administered to all residents who rotated during the 2016-2017 academic year and the first half of 2017-2018. The survey consisted of 34 questions querying residents on their level of training in EOL care, their comfort with management and discussions in different EOL domains, and their beliefs about what measures would have improved their ability to provide EOL care. Residents surveyed were from general surgery, emergency medicine, or anesthesia departments. Results and Conclusions Our study demonstrates that there is a significant correlation between resident comfort with EOL communication and experience providing EOL care. However, concepts in medicolegal aspects of palliative care could be taught through formal didactics, and structured training may allow residents the opportunity to reflect on the importance of a “better death.”