Are Mandates the Answer? Improving Palliative Care and Pain Management in Vermont

Background: The Vermont legislature (bill H.435, Sec. 19) has tasked the Vermont Board of Medical Practice (VBMP) with making a formal recommendation on improving Vermont health professionals’ knowledge and practice of Palliative Care and Pain Management (PC/PM). In collaboration with the VBMP, our group set out to answer the following questions: • How confident/competent are VT physicians in the practice of PC/PM? • What are the barriers to achieving optimal patient care in PC/PM? • Do VT physicians believe mandatory CME would improve the overall quality of care in PC/PM? • What are the best methods of providing Continuing Medical Education (CME)?https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1040/thumbnail.jp