Implementing the national strategic palliative care plan for children in Luxembourg: Assessment of the first paediatric palliative care course provided at the University of Luxembourg

Introduction: Paediatric palliative care services are lacking in Luxembourg, one of the smallest country in Europe. A national strategic plan for 2023-2026 on palliative care was launched to promote paediatric palliative care in the country. The 3 main objectives are: creation of a PPC service, a paediatric respite care service and a 40 hours mandatory PPC course for all nurses specializing in pediatric nursing at Luxembourg University.
Aim: Assess the impact of a first PPC course offered at the University of Luxembourg, within the curriculum of the Bachelor in pediatric nursing started in 2023.
Methods: A pre and post pseudonymized printed survey was completed by all participants of the 40 hours PPC course in February 2025. Twenty-three questions self-assessed student’s competences on a 10 points Likert Scale. The questions were based on the CORE level of the Educational Standard Framework of the Children’s Palliative Care Education and Training UK and Ireland Action group (CPCET, 2020).
Results: 7 students specializing in pediatric nursing completed the pre and the post survey. Results showed that students competences improved significantly in symptom management, bereavement care for siblings and parents, communication and intercultural skills, research and policies regulations. Some items showed minimal change, reflecting strong pre-existing knowledge among students. Notably, two items indicated a persistent misconception, with several students assuming the existence of a functional pediatric palliative care team and a dedicated pediatric respite facility in Luxembourg, despite the current absence of such formally established structures.
Conclusion/Implications: The results showed a significative improvement of the competences in PPC as self-assessed by the participants of a 40 hours PPC education training contributing to the national palliative care plan for children in Luxembourg.