Abstract
Background: Palliative care (PC) is an essential component of healthcare aimed at improving the quality
of life of patients with life-threatening illnesses and their families. International guidelines emphasize the need for integration of PC into undergraduate medical education; however, variability in curricula remains a challenge across countries, including Ukraine. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of Ukrainian undergraduate medical curricula in palliative care against international and European standards to identify gaps and prospects for their optimization.
Methods: This narrative review analyzed international standards for PC education, including the European
Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Recommendations for undergraduate curricula, the EDUPALL
model, and the Palliative Education Assessment Tool (PEAT), and compared them with Ukrainian national
educational standards and curricula in medical higher education institutions. A bibliosemantic search of
publicly available curricula on university websites was conducted, followed by comparative and systemic
analysis.
Results: International frameworks recommend structured, competency-based PC education with mandatory integration into undergraduate medical training and a strong focus on clinical, psychosocial, communication skills, and professional self-awareness. In contrast, Ukrainian curricula generally include PC as an elective discipline with a workload of 75–90 h (2.5–3 ECTS). While theoretical content is relatively well covered, practical and communication-based competencies are less emphasized.
Conclusions: Although Ukrainian undergraduate PC curricula generally align with international principles, important gaps remain in terms of mandatory integration, skills-based training, and curricular standardization. Transitioning PC education to a compulsory component of medical training and strengthening practical, communication, and interprofessional competencies are key priorities for aligning Ukrainian medical education with international standards