Table 5 Required competencies for the general level

(1.) Competence in advanced care planning and decision-making (f = 125)

(1.) Withholding therapies and setting goals of care (f = 62)

(2.) Timely decision-making (f = 38)

(3.) Advanced care planning (f = 19)

(4.) Coordination of care (f = 6)

(2.) Competence in social interactions (f = 107)

(5.) Encountering patients and significant others (f = 37)

(6.) Verbal communication (f = 16)

(7.) Social interactions as part of a physician’s work in palliative care (f = 15) **

(8.) Sensitivity and empathy (f = 15)

(9.) Breaking the bad news (f = 11)

(10.) Professional behaviour (f = 6)

(11.) Social interactions with special groups (f = 5)

(12.) Active role in social interactions (f = 2)

(3.) Competence in basics of palliative care (f = 79)

(13.) Holistic attention of patient’s physical, psychosocial and existential needs (f = 22)

(14.) Involvement of the significant others with care (f = 12)

(15.) Recognition of the need for palliative care and practicing palliative care based on the guidelines (f = 10)

(16.) Knowledge on basic principles of palliative care (f = 9)

(17.) Recognition of the dying patient (f = 9)

(18.) Definitions of palliative and end-of-life care (f = 8)

(19.) Palliative care in different diseases (f = 5)

(20.) Practices related to patient’s death (f = 4)

(4.) Competence in the management of other symptoms than pain (f = 74)

(21.) Methods of management of different symptoms (f = 45)

(22.) Recognition of symptoms (f = 13)

(23.) Symptom management as part of a physician’s work within palliative care (f = 11) **

(24.) Evaluation of the patient’s drug therapy within palliative care (f = 5)

(5.) Competence in consultations and networking (f = 34)

(25.) Recognition of the need for a consultation (f = 17)

(26.) Skills in networking (f = 11)

(27.) Consultations in a physician’s work within palliative care (f = 6)

(6.) Competence in pain management (f = 31)

(28.) Management of pain as part of a physician’s work within palliative care (f = 14) **

(29.) Methods of pain management (f = 11)

(30.) Assessment of pain (f = 6)

(7.) Juridical and ethical competence (f = 30)

(31.) Respect of patient’s rights (f = 13)

(32.) Patient’s autonomy (f = 6)

(33.) Respect of a human being (f = 4)

(34.) Honesty (f = 3)

(35.) Doing good (f = 2)

(36.) Patient’s freedom of choice (f = 1)

(37.) Accountability (f = 1)

(8.) Patient education competence (f = 26)

(38.) Guidance of a patient and significant others as part of a physician’s work in palliative care (f = 19) **

(39.) Conduct of guidance (f = 7)

(9.) Competence in multidisciplinary teamwork (f = 21)

- (No subcategories)

(10.) Competence in documentation (f = 18)

(40.) Documentation of goals and limits of care (f = 9)

(41.) Documentation as part of a physician’s work within palliative care (f = 3) **

(42.) Making medical certifications and verdicts (f = 3)

(43.) Detailed and real time documentation (f = 2)

(44.) Responding to notes (f = 1)

(11.) Competence at existential dimension (f = 12)

(45.) Relieving existential suffering (f = 7)

(46.) Encountering death (f = 5)

(12.) Cultural competence (f = 10)

(47.) Significance of a cultural perspective within palliative care (f = 8)

(48.) A member from another culture in a team (f = 2)

(13.) Competence in taking care of one’s own professional competence and well-being at work (f = 6)

(49.) Taking care of one’s own professional competence (f = 3)

(50.) Taking care of one’s own well-being at work (f = 3)