ABIMPrep

Syllabus

ABIM Hospice & Palliative Prep Course (Hospice)

98 lessons. Online and self-paced.

Palliative Foundations

Core principles, communication framework, prognostic thinking, and care models that anchor exam reasoning across settings. Emphasizes physician-level decision making, proportionality, and goal-concordant care.

  1. 1Palliative Care Scope
  2. 2Hospice Care Concepts
  3. 3Total Pain Framework
  4. 4Best Next Step Logic
  5. 5Emotion Response Frameworks
  6. 6Recommendation-Based Communication
  7. 7Common Illness Trajectories
  8. 8Prognostic Uncertainty Language
  9. 9Hospice Referral Triggers

Pain Management

High-yield pain assessment, opioid and nonopioid pharmacology, route selection, rotation, adverse effects, and complex pain syndromes. Focuses on safe physician prescribing and goal-concordant escalation.

  1. 10Pain History Essentials
  2. 11Pain Mechanism Patterns
  3. 12Breakthrough Pain Assessment
  4. 13Opioid Starting Principles
  5. 14Rescue Dose Strategies
  6. 15Long-Acting Opioid Use
  7. 16Parenteral Opioid Conversion
  8. 17Common Opioid Adverse Effects
  9. 18Opioid-Induced Neurotoxicity
  10. 19Respiratory Depression Risk
  11. 20Opioid Rotation Decisions
  12. 21Acetaminophen And NSAIDs
  13. 22Neuropathic Pain Adjuvants
  14. 23Corticosteroids For Pain
  15. 24Refractory Pain Escalation

Non-Pain Symptoms

Exam-focused assessment and management of dyspnea, nausea, bowel symptoms, delirium, fatigue, secretions, and other distressing non-pain symptoms across disease settings.

  1. 25Dyspnea Assessment Clues
  2. 26Opioids For Dyspnea
  3. 27Oxygen And Nonpharmacologic Measures
  4. 28Terminal Secretions Management
  5. 29Nausea Mechanism Approach
  6. 30Constipation Prevention And Rescue
  7. 31Malignant Bowel Obstruction
  8. 32Anorexia Cachexia Syndrome
  9. 33Delirium Recognition Features
  10. 34Delirium Evaluation Priorities
  11. 35Delirium Management Strategies
  12. 36Fatigue Depression And Demoralization
  13. 37Insomnia In Serious Illness
  14. 38Pruritus Mechanism Patterns
  15. 39Hiccups And Myoclonus

Communication And Decision-Making

Structured physician communication for prognosis, goals, code status, conflict, and family meetings. Prioritizes empathic responses and clear recommendations tied to values.

  1. 40Ask-Tell-Ask Structure
  2. 41Values And Tradeoffs
  3. 42Prognosis Disclosure Tactics
  4. 43Code Status Conversations
  5. 44Treatment Recommendation Framing
  6. 45Time-Limited Trials
  7. 46Conflict And Mediation
  8. 47Decision-Making Capacity Elements
  9. 48Surrogate Decision Standards
  10. 49Family Meeting Structure

Hospice And End-of-Life Care

Conceptual hospice eligibility, care settings, active dying management, and common bedside decisions near the end of life. Keeps regulatory details broad and safe.

  1. 50General Hospice Eligibility
  2. 51Diagnosis-Specific Decline Patterns
  3. 52Hospice Plan Of Care
  4. 53Signs Of Active Dying
  5. 54Medication Route Transitions
  6. 55Hydration And Nutrition Decisions
  7. 56Imminent Death Family Counseling
  8. 57Refractory Symptom Criteria
  9. 58Palliative Sedation Principles
  10. 59Sedation Versus Euthanasia

Ethics And Legal Principles

High-yield medical ethics and broad legal concepts relevant to withholding treatment, surrogacy, capacity, and professionalism in palliative medicine.

  1. 60Autonomy Beneficence Nonmaleficence
  2. 61Double Effect Principle
  3. 62Withholding And Withdrawing Treatment
  4. 63Advance Directive Basics
  5. 64Portable Medical Orders
  6. 65Disputed Surrogate Requests
  7. 66Requests To Hasten Death
  8. 67Substance Use And Misuse Risk
  9. 68When To Escalate Care

Psychosocial Spiritual And Cultural Care

Integrates psychiatric, existential, family, caregiver, and cultural dimensions of suffering into physician-level assessment and care planning.

  1. 69Anxiety In Serious Illness
  2. 70Depression Versus Demoralization
  3. 71Existential Suffering Responses
  4. 72Anticipatory Grief Patterns
  5. 73Complicated Grief Risk
  6. 74Caregiver Burden Assessment
  7. 75Cultural Humility Principles
  8. 76Interpreter Use In Decisions
  9. 77Religious Concerns In Care

Interdisciplinary Practice And Care Settings

Exam-relevant teamwork, consultation, transitions, and site-specific planning across hospital, clinic, home, hospice, and long-term care settings.

  1. 78Team Roles And Coordination
  2. 79Consult Triggers And Timing
  3. 80Interdisciplinary Care Planning
  4. 81Hospital And ICU Palliative Care
  5. 82Home Hospice Challenges
  6. 83Long-Term Care Considerations
  7. 84Deprescribing Principles
  8. 85Safe Care Transitions
  9. 86Avoiding Nonbeneficial Interventions

Special Populations And Complex Cases

Extends core principles to pediatrics, geriatrics, noncancer illness, hematologic and neurologic disease, and substance-related complexity. Emphasizes edge cases and close distractors.

  1. 87Pediatric Palliative Principles
  2. 88Parental Goals And Conflict
  3. 89Perinatal Palliative Planning
  4. 90Frailty And Functional Decline
  5. 91Advanced Dementia Decisions
  6. 92Behavioral Symptoms In Dementia
  7. 93Heart Failure And COPD Palliative Care
  8. 94Renal And Liver Disease Challenges
  9. 95ALS Stroke And Neurodegeneration
  10. 96Tolerance Dependence And Addiction
  11. 97Withdrawal Recognition And Prevention
  12. 98High-Risk Opioid Management
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