Health professions students’ attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients

Purpose: To assess the attitudes of students pursuing health professions about death and caring for the terminally ill. Methods: Students currently enrolled in a health profession academic program were invited to complete the Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale, Form B. Results: Participants who had been exposed to material or had taken a previous course on death and dying obtained higher scores than participants who had no previous education. Similarly, participants with previous experience in caring for terminally ill patients had higher average scores than those with no experience. Conclusions: Students in health profession programs would most likely benefit from an educational program focused on caring for terminally ill people and their families.