[Palliative medicine content in German-language medical textbooks]

(Palliativmedizinische Inhalte in deutschsprachigen medizinischen Lehrbüchern.)

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
There is a need for improved end-of-life care, especially in the light of demographic changes with an increased incidence of cancer. Although medical textbooks are central to the training of medical students and also serve as a reference for more experienced clinicians, only few data exist on the extent to which medical textbooks address end-of-life care. We analysed the quantity and quality of information on end-of-life care given in German textbooks on different medical disciplines.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:
26 top-selling German medical textbooks were analysed for the presentation of end-of-life care in chapters that address the 13 most common causes of death worldwide

RESULTS:
In the 159 chapters analysed for information on traditional topics, like risk factors or early diagnosis (group A), such information was provided in 52% compared with only 9% on end-of-life topics, such as symptom management or manner of death (group B) (p=0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference between the different medical specialities (p=0.22). Line-by-line analysis showed that the phrase death or related terms was mentioned in only 57 of 159 chapters dealing with the most common causes of death worldwide.

CONCLUSION:
The top-selling German textbooks that were analysed generally offer little helpful information on end-of-life care of patients.

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Author information

Author/s: Becker, G (G); Dausch, V (V); Xander, C (C); Olschewski, M (M); Momm, F (F); Blum, H E (HE);

Affiliation: Abteilung Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Germany. becker(-atsign-)med1.ukl.uni-freiburg.de

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: English Abstract; Journal Article

Journal: Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) (Dtsch Med Wochenschr), published in Germany. (Language: ger)

Reference: 2007-Feb; vol 132 (issue 6) : pp 256-60

Dates: Created 2007/02/01; Completed 2007/03/08; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 17268950, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Education, Medical
General Surgery - education
Germany
Gynecology - education
Humans
Internal Medicine - education

Internal Medicine - education
Neurology - education
Palliative Care
Psychiatry - education
Terminal Care
Textbooks as Topic

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