A study into the educational needs of children's hospice doctors: a descriptive quantitative and qualitative survey

Objectives: To identify and explore the educational needs of children's hospice doctors in England. Design: A descriptive quantitative and qualitative survey. Setting: Children's hospices in England. Participants: All children's hospice doctors (n=55) in England were approached, and 35 (65%) consented. Interventions: A questionnaire designed to survey doctors' self-assessed educational competencies (confidence and perceived need for training) in subject areas derived from analysis of existing children's palliative care literature. Educational diaries used prospectively in practice to identify areas of unmet educational need. Main outcome measures: Self-perceived confidence and usefulness scores for each subject area. An analysis of support, education and training needs deriving from educational diaries and one-to-one interviews. Results: Confidence and usefulness scores suggest that respondents would most value support, education and training in the management of emergencies, symptoms and physical disease...