Last Aid Courses as a Means for Public Palliative Care Education—A Narrative Review of the Literature and 10 Years of Experience Around the World with Implications for Future Research

<b>Objective</b>: To provide a narrative overview of the scientific knowledge on Last Aid Courses and experiences from different countries. <b>Background</b>: The levels of death literacy, grief literacy, and knowledge about palliative care are low in many countries around the world. For many people, dying, death, and grief are still a taboo. Public Palliative Care Education (PPCE), the public knowledge approach, and the Last Aid Course (LAC) aim to increase death literacy, grief literacy, and public knowledge about palliative care. <b>Methods</b>: A literature search in the databases PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, and PsycInfo was undertaken. Other additional sources were found by hand searching, books, reference lists, and the internet. A narrative overview of the existing literature on LAC and Public Palliative Care Education (PPCE) is provided. Experiences with PPCE and LAC from different countries are presented. Based on the findings, a future agenda for research on PPCE and LAC is presented. <b>Results and Discussion</b>: PPCE and LAC have been introduced in 23 countries. A total of 17 articles and reviews on Last Aid were included. Research on the effects of LAC in different countries and cultural issues connected to LAC are ongoing. <b>Conclusions</b>: Since 2015, LACs have been introduced in 23 different countries. The LAC, the LAC-KT, and PPCE may enhance the public debate on dying, death, grief, and palliative care and may empower people to contribute to end-of-life care in the community. Future research on PPCE, the LAC, and the LAC-KT should focus on retention over time and the long-term effects of the courses.

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Publication Details

Journal
Healthcare
Published
2025-12-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010096
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.88
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article

Last Aid Courses as a Means for Public Palliative Care Education—A Narrative Review of the Literature and 10 Years of Experience Around the World with Implications for Future Research

Pandeli Pani, Jason Mills, Georg Bollig, Erika Zelko et al.
1 citations
Healthcare
Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
1.88
article

Last Aid Courses as a Means for Public Palliative Care Education—A Narrative Review of the Literature and 10 Years of Experience Around the World with Implications for Future Research

Pandeli Pani, Jason Mills, Georg Bollig, Erika Zelko, Bianca G. Neumann, Sindy Müller-Koch
article en
1 citations

Abstract

<b>Objective</b>: To provide a narrative overview of the scientific knowledge on Last Aid Courses and experiences from different countries. <b>Background</b>: The levels of death literacy, grief literacy, and knowledge about palliative care are low in many countries around the world. For many people, dying, death, and grief are still a taboo. Public Palliative Care Education (PPCE), the public knowledge approach, and the Last Aid Course (LAC) aim to increase death literacy, grief literacy, and public knowledge about palliative care. <b>Methods</b>: A literature search in the databases PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, and PsycInfo was undertaken. Other additional sources were found by hand searching, books, reference lists, and the internet. A narrative overview of the existing literature on LAC and Public Palliative Care Education (PPCE) is provided. Experiences with PPCE and LAC from different countries are presented. Based on the findings, a future agenda for research on PPCE and LAC is presented. <b>Results and Discussion</b>: PPCE and LAC have been introduced in 23 countries. A total of 17 articles and reviews on Last Aid were included. Research on the effects of LAC in different countries and cultural issues connected to LAC are ongoing. <b>Conclusions</b>: Since 2015, LACs have been introduced in 23 different countries. The LAC, the LAC-KT, and PPCE may enhance the public debate on dying, death, grief, and palliative care and may empower people to contribute to end-of-life care in the community. Future research on PPCE, the LAC, and the LAC-KT should focus on retention over time and the long-term effects of the courses.

HealthcareVol. 14(1)
Johannes Kepler University of Linz (AT), Flinders University (AU), Wittenberg University (US), Deutsche Welle (DE), University of Maribor (SI), NZOZ Dom Sue Ryder (PL), University Clinical Centre Maribor (SI), Helios Kliniken (DE), University Hospital Cologne (DE), Lancaster University (GB)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
1.88
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