Palliative care practices and their relationship to training: A cross-sectional study of community-oriented physicians

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the training methods family physicians (FPs) use to enhance their professional development in palliative care. We also determined the relationship between these methods and palliative care practice. Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered to 557 FPs. Palliative care practices were measured using the palliative care self-reported practices scale (PCPS ; range 1-5), and associations among the eight indicators of FP palliative care training were considered. Quantile regression analysis was used for the analysis. Results: Valid responses were received from 307 FPs : 99.4% of the FPs provided palliative care and home visits, and 92.8% received palliative care training. The PCPS score was higher in participants who reported having received palliative care training (adjusted coefficient, 0.4 [95% CI, 0.120.68] ; P=0.004). The palliative care training method was found to be significantly associated with the PCPS score "Self-study through literature" (adjusted coefficient 0.18 [95% CI, 0.01-0.34] ; P=0.03) and "Reflection on the practices" (adjusted coefficient 0.24 [95% CI, 0.08-0.4] ; P=0.004). Conclusions: FPs actively provided palliative care in their communities and used various palliative care training methods for professional development. "Reflection on the practices" and "Self-study through literature" were important elements of community-based palliative care practice.