Evaluation of the National Train-the-Trainer Program for Hospice and Palliative Care in Korea

Background: To evaluate the effectiveness of the National Train-the-Trainers Program for Hospice and Palliative Care Experts (TTHPC) sponsored by the National Cancer Center of Korea between 2009 and 2012. This program was developed to improve the teaching skills of those in the field of hospice and palliative care (HPC). Materials and Methods: Training was offered in eight 1-day sessions between 2009 and 2012. The effect of the program was measured using Kirkpatrick's model of educational outcomes. First, levels 1 and 2 were evaluated immediately after the 1-day program (n=120). In 2012, the level-3 evaluation test was administered to trainers who offered at least one HPC training (n=78) as well as to their trainees (n=537). Results: The level-1 evaluation addressed participant reactions to and satisfaction with the program. Participants (n=120) were generally satisfied with the content, the method, and the overall course (mean range: 3.94-4.46 on a five-point Likert scale). The level-2 evaluation (learning) showed that participants gained knowledge and confidence related to teaching HPC (4.24 vs. 4.00). The level-3 evaluation (behavioral), which assessed trainers' application of teaching skills to HPC, showed that trainees rated the teaching methods of trainers (mean range: 4.03-4.08) more positively than did trainers (p<0.05). Female trainers were more likely than were male trainers to plan sessions in consideration of their trainees' characteristics (4.11 vs. 3.58; p<0.05), and nurse trainers were more likely than physician trainers to use a variety of instructional methods (4.05 vs. 3.36; p<0.05) Conclusions: We conducted systematic evaluations based on Kirkpatrick's model to assess the effectiveness of our train-the-trainers program. Our educational program was practical, effective, and followed by our HPC experts, who needed guidance to learn and improve their clinical teaching skills.