Last Aid Courses as a Palliative Care Education Strategy in Brazil: Participant Profiles, Motivations, and Experiences

Abstract

Background: Public understanding of palliative care, death, dying, and bereavement remains limited despite growing recognition of the need for community involvement in end-of-life care. Last Aid Courses were developed to provide basic palliative care education to the general population and have expanded. This study aimed to evaluate the profile, motivations, perceptions, and experiences of participants attending Last Aid Courses in Brazil and to compare findings among laymen, healthcare students, and healthcare professionals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with participants who attended Last Aid Courses in Brazil between March 2024 and March 2026. Data was collected through an online questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics, motivations for participation, course evaluation, self-reported learning outcomes, and topics of interest for further education. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square tests were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 602 participants completed the questionnaire. Participants included healthcare professionals (53.2%), healthcare students (24.8%), and laymen (22.1%). Interest in learning about palliative care was the most common motivation for participation (78.6%), followed by interest in death and dying (57.0%) and grief (50.5%). Students reported greater interest in death, dying, and grief, whereas laymen more frequently reported recent bereavement and caregiving experiences. Overall evaluations of the course were highly positive, with more than 97% of participants rating all modules as good or very good. Most participants reported increased confidence in discussing death and dying (94.3%), supporting people with terminal illness (93.3%), providing end-of-life care (93.6%), and supporting bereaved individuals (94.6%). Communication with family and friends, discussing death with children, and relieving suffering were the most frequently requested topics for further education. Conclusions: The Last Aid Courses were highly valued by laypeople, healthcare students, and healthcare professionals, demonstrating their potential as a palliative care education strategy in Brazil. Differences in motivations and educational needs among participant groups highlight opportunities for tailoring future educational initiatives. The findings support the role of Last Aid Courses in promoting palliative care literacy and strengthening community capacity to engage with issues related to serious illness, dying, death, and bereavement.