Medical students have to acquire theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and a personal attitude to meet the emerging needs of palliative care. The present study aimed to assess the personal attitude of Austrian medical students towards end of life communication (EOLC), as key part of palliative care. This cross-sectional, mono-institutional assessment invited all medical students at the Medical University of Vienna in 2015. The assessment was conducted web-based via questionnaire about attitudes towards EOLC. Additional socio-demographic and medical education-related parameters were collected. Overall, 743 medical students participated in the present report. Differences regarding the agreement or disagreement to several statements concerning the satisfaction of working with chronically ill patients, palliative care, and health care costs, as well as the extent of information about palliative disease, were found for age, gender, and academic years. The overall attitude towards EOLC in the present sample can be regarded as quite balanced. Nevertheless, a considerable number of medical students are still reluctant to inform patients about their incurable disease. Reservations towards palliative care as part of the health care system seem to exist. The influence of the curriculum as well as practical experiences seems to be important but needs further investigation.
Keywords: Attitudes; Communication; End of life; Medical students; Palliative care.