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Table 5 Quotes of general practice trainees: Change of attitude towards dying, death and grief because of the intervention

From: How to ensure basic competencies in end of life care – a mixed methods study with post-graduate trainees in primary care in Germany

general practice trainees:

“I became aware of how important end of life care is for both, the patient as well as their relatives.”

“I want to improve the quality of end of life care.”

“I want to support patients to leave in dignity and without sorrows.”

“I want to identify and value the will and needs of my patients.”

“I consider the combination of a multimodal therapy within a multi-disciplinary team as best option” (for end of life care).

“I became aware of an increased need for physical contact in dying patients.”

“I do not want to judge relatives’ grief as being pathological too early”

“Alternative therapies in oral hygiene and aroma therapy are helpful.”

“I feel more self-confident.”

“Sometimes easy things such as oral hygiene make the slight difference”

“I became aware of end of life care to be a task in general practice.”

“I became interested in palliative medicine.”

“Now, I do have more understanding and can be more empathic towards patients and their relatives.”

“If they want, general practitioners can support patients in their wish to die at home”

“Palliative medicine is comprehensive.”

“Now I can imagine letting patients go (= let them die).”

“I became aware of a special patient-doctor relationship at the end of life.”

“I want to accept the patient’s will and autonomy in any situation, even if it is not reasonable from a medical point of view.”

“I want to analyse the problems of dying patients in detail and want to question decisions in therapy more often.”

“I obtained a better understanding of the various problems”

“I reflected thoroughly relative’s options (in end of life care). How would I like to die?”