2017 Volume 57 Issue 5 Pages 430-435
Palliative care and psycho-oncology education are enriching programs, and dissemination at academic organizations and hospitals has advanced dramatically in the last ten years. In the Basic Plan for Promotion of Cancer Countermeasures Established in 2007, “the priority goal was set up for all doctors engaged in cancer diagnosis to acquire basic knowledge and skills on palliative care.” There is no doubt that the palliation of “palliative care workshops” at cancer hospitals has backed up this development. Approximately 80,000 physicians have already taken palliative care workshops for doctors of cancer treatment. Educational programs targeting on nurses, pharmacists, rehabilitation professionals, and cancer counselors are spreading little by little. It goes without saying that education on palliative care should be the center of attitude education. The current educational program centered around management is expected to be made in the common educational system for different professions and patients, when there are not only cancer patients but also wider categories of subjects for palliative care. In order to establish an educational program useful in this field where a multi-disciplinary team approach is essential, we may have to develop an educational program that can be used regardless of occupation and the target disease of palliative care.
