安寧緩和醫療對於末期病患照護品質的提升，以及對於臨終病患尊嚴維持的貢獻，已經逐漸的受到各種不同的醫療團隊與社會大眾的肯定。為檢視目前的醫學教育對於安寧療護的效果，本研究探討一所醫學大學的醫學生，與同一大學附設醫院的醫師們對於安寧療護的知識與態度。醫學系的一年級至五年級的醫學生被列為此次研究的對象。問卷內容分三部分，第一部分是詢問受測者對於安寧療護的認知程度。第二部分是詢問受測者對於安寧療護的態度。第三部分是針對受測者之基本背景資料。結果顯示出：醫師們對於安寧療護的知識較醫學生們正確；特別是有關於安寧緩和醫療的意義，以及安寧緩和醫療團隊由何種份子組成等方面。關於針對安寧療護的態度問題方面：醫師們比醫學生們更傾向於對末期病患的病情告知(P<0.05)。醫師們也比醫學生們更傾向於應由健保給付安寧療護的醫療費用(P<0.05)。醫師們比醫學生們更贊成應將生死學的課程列入必修的醫學課程裡面(P<0.05)。90.6%的醫師和86.3%的醫學生都贊成將安寧療護課程正式列入醫學教育但兩者相差並沒有顯著的差異。本研究之結論為加強現階段的安寧療護醫學教育，不論在醫學院或是醫院的在職教育有其必要。
The professional community and society at large in Taiwan are gradually recognizing the benefits that hospice palliative care can deliver in terms of improved quality of terminal care and dignity for terminally ill patients. In order to assess the status of hospice palliative care in the medical curriculum as currently taught in Taiwan, the authors developed a study to determine a respondent’s knowledge of and attitudes toward hospice palliative. This study was then executed on a study population of medical students and practicing physicians located at a university hospital campus in central Taiwan. Medical students in their first through fifth years and physicians practicing at the university hospital were requested to participate. We designed a questionnaire covering three “domains”, which the respondents were requested fill out on their own time. The first domain tested a respondent’s knowledge of hospice palliative care basics. It included four sections covering 1) the definition of hospice palliative care; 2) the types of diseases typically covered by hospice palliative care; 3) items of hospice palliative care; and 4) the component members of a standard hospice palliative team. The second domain assessed respondent attitudes toward hospice palliative care. Issues covered included 1) respondent willingness to disclose a terminal diagnosis to his/her patient; 2) willingness to see National Health Insurance cover hospice palliative care costs; 3) desire to see thanatology incorporated into the compulsory medical curriculum; 4) willingness to become a hospice palliative care volunteer; 5) willingness to serve as a terminal care physician; and 6) interest to see a formal hospice-training curriculum instituted in medical school. The third domain gathered respondent background information. Survey results indicated physicians have a significantly greater understanding of hospice palliative care than do medical students. Physicians were relatively more agreeable (P<0.05) to revealing a terminal diagnosis to their patient, more in favor (P<0.05) of paying for hospice care with National Health Insurance funds, and felt more strongly about including thanatology as part of the compulsory medical education curriculum than their medical student associates. The difference separation the 90.6% of physicians and 86.3% of medical students who agreed with the need to institutionalize a formal hospice palliative care in the medical school curriculum was not significant. These results show that hospice palliative care education should be improved and expanded for medical students and clinical physicians.
