The Undergraduate Hospice Experience: A Way to Teach Pre-Med Students the Importance of Compassionate Patient Care (S725)

Methods. Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of a palliative care intervention (Project ENABLE) for patients with advanced cancer and their primary FCGs. Structured tree analysis was used to identify variables associated with the presence or lack of a FCG. Sociodemographic and patient reported outcomes data were abstracted from baseline questionnaires of 122 patients who enrolled with a FCG and 85 patients who enrolled without a FCG. Sociodemographics included age, gender, education, race, social support (MSPSS: Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), and Karnofsky Functional status. Patient reported outcomes included symptom impact (QUAL-E Symptom Impact, score range: 4-20), quality of life (QOL) (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care), depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale), perceived quality of care (Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care), and hospital days and emergency department visits in the past 3 months. Results. For patients with MSPSS scores 52.5 (n1⁄4105), 73% (n1⁄477) had a FCG. For female patients with MSPSS scores >77.5 (n1⁄429), 69% (n1⁄420) had a FCG. For female patients with MSPSS scores 126.1 (n1⁄425), 20% (n1⁄45) had a FCG. For female patients with MSPSS scores 26 (n1⁄410), 20% (n1⁄42) had a FCG. For female patients with MSPSS scores <77.5, QOL scores <126, and depression scores<26 (n1⁄426), 77% (n1⁄420) had a FCG. Conclusions. Having a FCG is associated with high levels of perceived social support, being male, and lower depression despite lower QOL. Implications for Research, Policy, or Practice. Advanced cancer patients with little social support require special arrangements to help them manage their illness.