Methods and Findings Based on Literature Review Gunten et al. (2012) conducted a quantitative study of 593 third-year medical students from July 2002 to December 2007. A pre-and post-instruction performance on knowledge, confidence, and concerns, regarding end of life care and palliative care measures was evaluated. The intervention required a 32 hour didactic and experiential curriculum. The results showed a “23% improvement in knowledge (F1,486 = 881, p < 0.001), 56% improvement in self-reported competence (F1,486 = 2,804, p < 0.001), and 29% decrease in self-reported concern (F1,486 = 208, p < 0.001)” (p. 1198). Pesut et al. (2015) utilized a mix-method convergent parallel design study to evaluate the outcomes of an educational intervention of 22 rural nurses and 13 healthcare workers (sample) in palliative care. A pre and post-test analysis was completed and it demonstrated that healthcare providers had a statistically significant knowledge gain in many areas of palliative care. For instance, there was an increase in seven of ten palliative care competence dimensions, including pain needs, spiritual needs, and communication. Also, there was an improvement in the nurses’ self-perceived knowledge in three of twelve domains. It was also demonstrated that there was an improvement in communication among the healthcare team. The study concluded that an educational intervention could improve not only the knowledge but also the competence in nurses and healthcare providers.
Hospice patients often receive palliative care to help them cope with the stress, pain, and anxiety that comes with hospice care. Galfin, Watkins, and Harlow (2011) explored the need to train palliative care nurses how to provide not just physical care, but also psychological care. The authors reference previous studies that addressed similar training programs, but point out that many lack an explanation of what the palliative care entails, or statistical evidence to show if guided self-help improved patient’s psychological distress.
Before I started this class I thought palliative care was only used as end of life care, or for when a curative treatment was unavailable or had failed. As we learned about the different models of care, and how they have changed over the years, it became evident that the use of palliative care has changed drastically over the past several decades. In the 1800s to 1900s, palliative care was only used once the patient had reached the dying stage, and only included the patient in this care, not their families1. Before taking this course, this is what I thought of palliative care as well. Since the late 1900s though, palliative care has been used in a more proactive approach. From the moment an individual receives a life threatening illness, palliative care begins. This includes caring for the family of the patient as well. This care increases as the patient’s illness progresses, and even continues for the family after the death of the patient. Learning this has really made an impact on how I would like to work as a
Emmanuel LL, von Gunten CF, Ferris FD. The Education for Physicians on End-of-Life Care (EPEC) Curriculum. 1999.
According to Allen et al. (2012), “millions of people with chronic illnesses endure unrelieved pain, uncontrolled physical symptoms and unresolved psychosocial or spiritual problems.” This issue occurs because palliative care is often considered a form of end-of-life care. Palliative care is a treatment that can be used for patients who suffer from chronic illnesses and diseases while receiving curative treatment. (Horowitz, Grambling & Quill, 2014) purposely states the misconceptions of palliative care and advocated for seriously ill patients that education must bring under control the misconceptions. Some patients do not receive appropriate symptom management because the palliative care treatment needed is often confused with end-of-life care. However, end-of-life care attempts to relieve pain and suffering when a disease is no longer responsive to curative treatment. Pain and suffering could ultimately be controlled or even eliminated through the proper utilization of palliative care. Patients who are not referred to palliative care in a timely manner is more likely to have poor quality of life, uncontrolled symptom management and increased amounts of visits to the emergency room during the disease process. Patients with life limiting illnesses bear the burden of increased discomfort and increased suffering. Nurses experience clinical practice issues and difficulties in the clinical setting during the delivery of comfort and symptom management. These issues
Comparatively, Bailey et al. (2014) studied the effects of implementing interventions to improve end of life care for inpatient veterans. The problem statement was determined to be that end of life care in the inpatient setting was lacking, which drove the aim of the study to improve EOLC and to minimize suffering of the patients (Bailey et al., 2014). The researchers theorized that this could be accomplished if recognition of end of life was increased and if home-based palliative interventions were implemented. Therefore, the team sought to study the effectiveness of implementing staff education of three items: evaluating patients who are actively dying, communicating end of life interventions with patients and families, and implementing home-based best practices for end of life care (Bailey et al., 2014). The purpose here was to improve inpatient end of life care.
End of life issues involving education on palliative care and hospice; are these issues important to you and your loved ones? The purpose of this paper is to discuss end of life care and how the legislative process affects this important topic. As the American population keeps growing, so does the amount of an aging population. Is the amount of training and education in nursing school sufficient for palliative care and hospice? Do we need to provide more training to the medical field to help support the growing need for end of life care? At some point in our careers we might be faced with helping someone in their final days. Being educated and having the ability to provide appropriate care is part of our scope of practice. (American Nurses Association, 2010, pp.1-2)
What was once believed to be a form of neglect has resulted in a change in practice with the idea that doing less is more. Culture is an important factor in how care is rendered and thus, the limitations of palliative and hospice care lie within the desires of the family and patients. A thorough understanding of our surrounding demographics helps to ensure a seamless approach to providing care without bias or imposition of ones beliefs. However, just as with all things, providing care for the sick and comforting the dying should be rendered in moderation as to prevent the effects of burn out. Likewise, the same effects occur in the caregivers who sacrifice their responsibilities in order to care for their love ones. Finally, and with some closing thoughts, the writer wishes to express with gratitude the benefit of having taken this course to better understand oneself and others in the realm of healthcare. The lessons learned throughout have expanded this writer's knowledge and understanding of the human desire to make a connection through communication, emotion, compassion, and spiritually - the platform from which this writer wishes to continue seeking further knowledge and
The nurse has to do research in order to know which method would be the best for each patient, and to learn all the new strategies to keep the patients comfortable. The nurse’s knowledge is also up to date on all the kinds of new equipment such as mattresses that help prevent the patient from getting bedsores. The nurse is aware that the only physical pain that is hard to treat and control is neuropathic, this is determined through research. The nurse has gained knowledge through their own person understanding and empath which is part of Carper’s (1978) ways of knowing through their experience of when their own grandfather was a patient before they were in palliative care. They had an experience that they would never want a family to go through when their loved one is dying. Through this experience it made the nurse want to go into palliative care so they could use their new knowledge to try their best to make a family with a dying loved one witness a “good death”. The nurse uses knowledge and attitudes built by an ethical framework. The nurse listens to what the patients want allowing them to be in control of their life, respecting their life, and doing what is right for the patient’s well-being. The nurse knows what the patient wants in order to die a “good death” even if it means stopping treatment so that there is no more pain but possibly a shorter life span. The nurse shows knowledge through the awareness of the immediate situation and the awareness of the patient and their awareness of their circumstances as a unique individual. The nurse takes their time with each patient in order to understand them. The nurse has learned that during bath time is when the patient usually seems to speak the most and that is when the nurse learns the most about the patient. (SOURCE)(CARPERS WAY OF KNOWING)(REFERENCE THE
The study concludes that it is imperative for nurses to acquire knowledge on the significance of palliative care, the ethics behind, and how it impacts the lives of their patients and families. This checklist serves as a guide for best
This study is a part of a bigger RCT to assess the training impact on team functioning in palliative care setting. This sub-cohort was a single group post test design conducted using quantitative (post-intervention test) and qualitative (interviews) design to examine the role of specific role training (facilitator). a training program to prepare nurses to play the role of palliative care facilitators in general care practitioner offices. A total of 35 nurses were enrolled in the RCT, However only 6 received the training program as part of the sub-cohort. The program consisted of a one day session that was followed by a half day booster. Results suggested that training as a facilitator although challenging could be very successful. Multiple
Little empirical research exists, however Pastrana, Wenk, & De Lima, (2016) designed an initiative called “Transforming the System.” This approach educates undergraduate health care professionals by introducing six competency scales to improve the delivery and equality in receiving adequate palliative and hospice services. Building from this model I will establish the core tenants in mastering competency and comfort levels to the development of certificate program based on ‘Blooms Taxonomy’ standards on how to educate the competencies and comfortable level for health care providers working with death and dying.
The purpose of the study was to test and determine the effectiveness of an observed structured clinical examination (OSCE) with the focus on improving palliative care skills for advance practice nurses (APNs) and medical fellows. The outcome of this pilot test is endless for the use of training other disciplines in health care that deal with issues of palliative care. The effectiveness of this pilot showed with the use of three stations testing instruments learners and faculty gain valuable resources. These instruments tested one’s skills, their ability of breaking bad news to patients and family, setting effective and practical goals of care with the patient, and assessing a patient’s mental status. Focus groups were also used to gain learner perspective on the training and provide feedback on what could be improved in the training sessions.
Objective: To know the contributions of the educational process in Palliative Care during the undergraduate level for the professional action of nurses in the care of patients at the end of life. Methods: This is a qualitative research, with discursive thematic analysis, based on Morin’s theory of complexity. It was attended by seven newly-trained nurses and six nursing teachers from a Nursing Undergraduate Course. Results: It has found disruptions and the development of new ways of thinking and caring for patients at the end of life, highlighting that these patients should be treated with therapies to mitigate their signs and symptoms until death, focusing on quality of life; moreover, their psychosocial and spiritual aspects should be appreciated.
I have been a registered nurse at UCLA for 18 months. One particular issue that has captured my attention is the utilization of palliative care in health care. Because nurses are generally at the bedside all the time, they have an important role to play in voicing the importance of its utilization and implementation in the patient’s care.
Time and financial concerns are one of the major barriers in conducting training modules in the health care field. This article tries to examine the alternative of virtual online training programs to improve team functioning while avoiding these barriers. The authors used the COMFORT (Communication; Orientation and Opportunity; Mindful presence; Family; Openings; Relating, and Team) communication training modules in a virtual form in aim to assess its impact. They emailed palliative care clinicians, and were able to enroll 177 subjects to undergo the online COMFORT training module. Baseline surveys were collected and compared to post training ones. Data showed improvement in knowledge that could predict better application in the future. Authors