Influence of Short-Term Palliative Care Educational Program on Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitudes of Physiotherapy Students: A Quasi-experimental Study

Inadequate knowledge prevents healthcare professionals from providing the best end-of-life care to dying patients and meeting their needs. To address the unmet need for palliative care, it is also necessary to implement a multi-disciplinary treatment approach to overcome significant barriers, such as the lack of specific palliative care training among healthcare professionals. The study aimed to develop and establish psychometric properties of knowledge and belief questionnaires and investigate the effect of palliative care educational programs on outcomes of knowledge, belief, and attitudes in physiotherapy students at various Indian universities. Knowledge and belief questionnaires were developed, and their reliability and validity were established on 26 final-year physiotherapy students who were subjected to an educational program of six hours on palliative care, and their knowledge, belief, and attitude toward critical care of patients were assessed before and after completion of the program. The results demonstrated that both questionnaires had good content and face validity. The knowledge and belief questionnaires showed good (ICC 0.88, 95% CI (0.73–0.94)) (Cronbach alpha 0.89) and moderate (ICC 0.70, 95% CI (− 0.09– − 0.80)) (Cronbach alpha 0.75) reliability, respectively. Also, a significant improvement was observed in the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of students after completion of the educational program (p < 0.05). The self-made knowledge and belief questionnaires were found to be valid and reliable tools for assessing knowledge and belief. A focused educational program on palliative care may be included in the curriculum of physiotherapy students to enhance their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes.