ABSTRACT
Background: In Japan, a nation-wide education program for primary palliative care (the Palliative care Emphasis program on symptom management and Assessment for Continuous medical Education: PEACE) was established in 2008. In 2018, this program was revised from a two-day workshop to a hybrid program combining e-learning with a one-day workshop. This study aimed to assess the changes in participant knowledge and difficulties after having completed the revised education program. Methods: The subjects of this study were all participants who completed the revised program from April 2018 to March 2019. We conducted a pre-post survey via the e-learning system, and measured scores on the palliative care knowledge questionnaire to evaluate PEACE (PEACE-Q) and Palliative Care Difficulties Scale (PCDS). Results: A total of 11,124 participants completed the revised program from June 2018 to March 2019. Participants’ knowledge improved significantly according to the PEACE-Q with a total score of 24.1 and 30.0 (p<0.0001), and difficulties diminished as indicated by the PCDS with a total score of 45.2 and 39.2 (p<0.0001). Participants in different professions obtained similar results. Conclusion: Participants’ knowledge and difficulties improved after the revised nationwide primary palliative care education program. Similar results were obtained by participants in different professions.