Factors Associated with Confidence in Practicing Palliative Care Among Family Medicine Residents

Objective: To explored Thai family medicine residents’ confidence in palliative care (PC) and associated factors. Materials and Methods: The present study employed a mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches conducted between August and October 2024 among all first- to third-year family medicine residents in certified Thai institutions, using an online self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised six sections, which are demographics, PC education and experience, knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and a qualitative component consisting of open-ended questions exploring barriers and suggestions related to PC education. The knowledge section included 18 true/false questions, while attitudes were assessed with eight dichotomous questions from agreement/disagreement. Confidence was evaluated using a 9-question binary scale of yes/no. Content validity was evaluated, with an item objective congruence value of 0.91. Multiple linear regression analyses were employed to examine the association. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Results: Ninety-seven family medicine residents participated. Higher confidence was associated with in-patient visits, extracurricular PC activities, and training at university-based institutions. Qualitative analysis revealed challenges in PC education, including a lack of standardization, insufficient practical experience, and knowledge gaps. Suggestions for improvement included standardizing curricula, increasing practical experience, teaching hours, and having PC specialist in the institution. Conclusion: While most residents have received PC education, significant disparities exist in their confidence levels. Standardizing PC curricula is recommended to enhance residents’ confidence and improve the quality of PC provision.