Background: In 2002, the German Association of Palliative Medicine
published recommendations for a one-week basic-course ‘‘Palliative Medicine for Physicians’’. The topics of the basic-course can be further explored
in two advanced courses of one week each. Since Palliative Medicine has
been introduced in 2003 as a medical subspecialty, the courses will form part
of the educational programme leading to the subspecialty exam. Our courses
are based on the learning cycle theory of Kolb, according to which
perception of information is possible through abstract conceptualisation
and active experimentation. Perceived information can then be processed by
concrete experience and reflective observation. Based on this theory, Kolb
identified four different ‘‘learning styles’’.
Objective and Methods: Aim of the study was to assess the participants’
learning preferences, their satisfaction with the course, and check for
possible correlations. Sixty physicians participating in four one-week courses
(two basic and two advanced) were asked to fill out a learning-style
inventory at the beginning of each course and a feed-back questionnaire
including satisfaction ratings at the end of the course.
Results and Discussion: The current generation of participants was trained
to gain factual knowledge and psychomotor skills but has little experience
with settings strengthening attitudinal skills. Preliminary results show that
most physicians seem to favour abstract conceptualisation and reflective
observation in their learning. Being aware of their learning preferences can
motivate the participants to go through unfamiliar learning experiences. A
full analysis of the data will be presented at the meeting. We hope that this
work will help us to tailor our future courses to the learning preferences and
needs of the participants.