Key themes and approaches in palliative and end-of-life care education for the general public: a systematic review

Background: Families, friends, and communities play a vital role in supporting individuals facing declining health,caregiving duties, loss, or grief, especially with the growing desire to die at home. The general public can significantlyimpact end-of-life care and offer essential support mechanisms. This review aimed to explore and identify keyeducational components related to palliative and end-of-life care for citizens, volunteers, and the general public.

Methods: A mixed-method systematic review was conducted, incorporating four electronic databases (MEDLINE,PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) and grey literature searches, and quality was assessed using Hawker etal.’s (2002) critical appraisal checklists.

Results: Twenty studies published between 2011 and 2023 were included, covering topics in palliative, end-of-lifecare, and bereavement education. These studies involved a total of 10,307 participants and identified 16 differenteducational programmes for the public, volunteers, and lay caregivers. The analysis revealed six main themes:foundational concepts and philosophies, communication and decision-making, planning and preparation, symptommanagement, end-of-life care practices, and caregiving support.

Conclusions: This review highlights the importance of training programmes to improve community involvementin caregiving and enhance the quality of care for individuals with life-limiting conditions. Expanding access to sucheducational resources can empower more people to contribute confidently to end-of-life care in their communities.