By Merin C. MacDonald | Date published: August 20, 2024
Palliative Care and Neurology Collaborate to Develop Curriculum that Aims to Improve Serious Illness Communication Skills for Neurology Residents 
Many neurologists report a lack of education and experience in providing palliative care to their patients. To address this, a collaborative team from the Division of Palliative Care and Department of Neurology at UMass Chan developed and piloted a curriculum for Neurology residents to help prepare them for serious illness conversations.
Jennifer Reidy, MD, MS, chief of the Division of Palliative Care and associate professor of family medicine & community health, and Vandana Nagpal, MD, associate division chief and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Palliative Care, collaborated with Drs. Marcey Osgood and Brian Silver, both of the Department of Neurology, to develop a simulation-based curriculum aimed at improving neurology residents’ confidence and comfort during goals of care conversations (GOC). The study team detailed results from their pilot in a recent publication in Neurology Education revealing that after experiencing the new curriculum, more than 90% of residents were satisfied with the training and the majority reported feeling more comfortable when delivering prognosis and discussing hospice. The residents also reported increased GOC conversations earlier in the patient’s disease course.