Table 5 Unifying category: Preferred types of palliative care education

Teaching contents in palliative care education (f = 905)

Encounters in palliative care (f = 162)

Guidance to encounter the closest ones (f = 72)

Guidance to encounter the patients (f = 59)

Theory and practice of palliative care encounters (f = 16)

Importance of leisurely and empathic presence (f = 10)

Importance of genuine encounters (f = 5)

Support in palliative care (f = 123)

Knowledge of supporting the closest ones (f = 42)

More about psychosocial support (f = 34)

Knowledge of support for patients (f = 23)

Knowledge of the instrumental support for the patient and family (f = 7)

Knowledge of patient counselling (f = 7)

Maintaining hope (f = 7)

More about supporting the closest ones to participate in care (f = 3)

Holistic pain management (f = 94)

More education of pain management (f = 35)

Education of non-pharmacological pain treatment (f = 19)

Thorough knowledge of pharmacological pain management (f = 13)

Knowledge of using patient-controlled analgesia device (f = 9)

Guidelines to pain management (f = 8)

Knowledge of pain assessment in palliative care (f = 6)

Knowledge of the holistic nature of pain (f = 4)

Communication and interaction in palliative care (f = 73)

More about interacting with patient and the closest ones (f = 25)

How to discuss when there are no right words (f = 9)

How to discuss bad news (f = 9)

How to discuss with the patient (f = 8)

How to discuss meaningful issues (f = 7)

How to discuss with the closest ones (f = 6)

How to communicate about death with the patient and closest ones (f = 5)

Practical guidance for interactions (f = 4)

Cultural issues in palliative care (f = 61)

Knowledge about multiculturality in palliative care (f = 34)

Knowledge about multicultural nursing in palliative care (f = 9)

Knowledge about cultural differences towards death and dying (f = 8)

Knowledge of the customs of other cultures (f = 7)

Knowledge of encounters with people from other cultures (f = 3)

The basics of palliative care (f = 56)

Clarify the main concepts of palliative and end-of-life care (f = 17)

Education about the philosophy of palliative care (f = 15)

Main contents of palliative care provision (f = 12)

Identifying the need for palliative care (f = 6)

Education of basic nursing care as a part of palliative nursing (f = 6)

Special principles of pharmacology in palliative care (f = 54)

More knowledge about pharmacology in palliative care (f = 40)

Knowledge of the special features of pharmacology in palliative care (f = 8)

Knowledge of the effects and administration of medicine (f = 6)

Advanced care planning, decision-making in palliative care (f = 48)

Clarify the concepts of withholding therapies (f = 19)

More about setting goals of care (f = 15)

End-of-life decision- making (f = 12)

‘Do not resuscitate’ directives (f = 2)

Education of end-of-life care (f = 31)

Knowledge about caring for the dying patient and their closest ones (f = 19)

Caring for the patient and their closest one after death (f = 8)

Knowledge about palliative sedation (f = 2)

Knowledge about the symptoms of impending death (f = 2)

Ethical and legal issues in palliative care (f = 31)

Knowledge of ethical questions (f = 24)

Knowledge of values (f = 4)

Education of legal issues (f = 2)

Knowledge of ethics in euthanasia (f = 1)

Somatic symptom management in palliative care (f = 30)

Care for somatic symptoms (f = 10)

Assessment in symptom care (f = 6)

Knowledge of somatic symptoms (f = 5)

Caring for nausea (f = 5)

Caring for wounds (f = 2)

Caring for shortness of breath (f = 2)

Existential issues in palliative care (f = 26)

Knowledge about spiritual support (f = 10)

Knowledge of the meaning of life and existential questions (f = 10)

Knowledge about different religious views towards death and dying (f = 6)

Self-awareness in palliative care (f = 25)

Facing own feelings of death (f = 8)

Reflection of own feelings regarding care (f = 7)

Guidance for coping at work (f = 6)

Guidance on how to cope with difficult situations (f = 4)

Palliative care to different patient groups (f = 23)

Children’s palliative care (f = 10)

Adolescent’s palliative care (f = 7)

Palliative care in different diseases (f = 4)

Adult’s and elderly people’s palliative care (f = 2)

Psychological symptom management in palliative care (f = 21)

Knowledge of psychological symptoms (f = 13)

Care for psychological symptoms (f = 8)

Non-pharmacological care in palliative care (f = 20)

Overall knowledge about non-pharmacological care (f = 14)

Different non-pharmacological methods (f = 6)

Palliative care in different settings (f = 17)

The care pathway and actors in palliative care (f = 7)

Providing palliative care at the patient’s home (f = 5)

Providing palliative care in non-specialized units (f = 5)

Multidisciplinary teamwork (f = 10)

Knowledge of multidisciplinary collaboration (f = 7)

Knowledge of multidisciplinary care (f = 3)

Teaching methods for learning palliative care (f = 393)

Patient cases and collaboration with working field in teaching (f = 146)

Using concrete examples from practice (f = 56)

Lectures provided by experts in the field (f = 31)

Visits to hospice or palliative care wards (f = 26)

Using patient cases in education (f = 19)

Lectures from expert nurses in the field (f = 14)

Multidimensional teaching methods (f = 88)

Face-to-face education (f = 63)

More reflection tasks about the issue (f = 7)

Online videos about palliative care (f = 6)

Using e-learning to create flexibility (f = 5)

Evidence-based education (f = 5)

Taking into account different learning styles (f = 2)

Experiences and exposure-based teaching (f = 49)

Experts by experience telling their story (f = 28)

Sharing care experiences with the classes (f = 10)

Teachers sharing their own experiences of palliative care (f = 7)

Students sharing their own experiences of palliative care (f = 4)

Learning from discussions about palliative care (f = 46)

Teacher facilitated discussion about palliative care issues (f = 31)

Teacher facilitated group discussions (f = 12)

Teacher facilitated discussions of care encounters and feelings (f = 3)

Skills labs and simulation pedagogy in palliative care education (f = 40)

Simulation sessions (f = 19)

Skills practice through workshops (f = 12)

Skills training sessions at school (f = 9)

Multidisciplinary teaching and learning (f = 24)

Lectures provided by physicians (f = 8)

Learning together with students from other disciplines (f = 7)

Lectures provided by chaplains (f = 6)

Teaching provided by a multidisciplinary palliative care team (f = 3)

Placement of palliative care studies (f = 81)

Integrated and unifying palliative care education in the curriculum (f = 35)

Repeated teaching at different phases of education (f = 12)

Education as an own entirety (f = 8)

Palliative care education as a natural part of all education (f = 6)

Palliative care integrated in different courses (f = 6)

Teaching after clinical practice (f = 3)

Preparatory teaching from the first semesters (f = 29)

Education launched during the first semesters (f = 16)

Education before the first patient contacts (f = 8)

Education from the beginning of the studies (f = 5)

In-depth learning during the final semesters (f = 17)

Palliative care education integrated into advanced studies (f = 7)

Palliative care education integrated into the last semesters of studies (f = 7)

Cases and simulations integrated into advanced studies (f = 3)