Effect of an educational program on medical students' conversations with patients about advance directives: a randomized trial.

Abstract

Advance directives, such as the durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC), help patients and physicians make end-of-life health care decisions. Medical education should prepare student physicians to be knowledgeable about and comfortable with discussing advance directives. The authors developed an educational module for the third-year medical school curriculum and conducted a randomized trial to evaluate in students its effect on various outcome measures regarding the DPAHC. Over a six-week period, students who received written material about the DPAHC and a two-hour seminar significantly increased knowledge about and reported increased skill, comfort, and experience with the DPAHC.