A New Curriculum for Palliative Undergraduate Medical Education in Finland: A Qualitative Documentary Analysis.

Abstract

Background: A new, national competence-based curriculum of palliative medicine (PM) undergraduate teaching has recently been created to support mandatory PM education in Finnish medical schools. Objectives: To analyze the Finnish curriculum (FC) of PM and compare it with the European EDUPALL curriculum. Material and Methods: A qualitative documentary analysis was used to compare contents, learning methods, and delivery of teaching recommended in both curricula. Results: The FC provides practical and detailed instructions for learning core, important, and good-to-know knowledge of PM, both in a dedicated course and within other subjects. The structure of the FC is in accordance with EDUPALL. The FC (81 hours) makes up 1% of the total teaching volume of a six-year Finnish medical degree and is larger than EDUPALL (72 hours). Conclusions: The new FC aligns with the updated European Association for Palliative Care curriculum. The FC provides graduating physicians with sufficient basic knowledge of PM.