Palliative care training addressed to hospital healthcare professionals by palliative care specialists: a mixed-method evaluation

Exploring the landscape of palliative care provision for black patients with hematologic cancers: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Patients with cancer benefit greatly from receiving palliative care (PC), improving their overall survival and quality of life. Despite its benefits, PC is underutilized among patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs), particularly among Black patients, who face higher symptom burdens and lower survival rates compared to White patients. The purpose of this review was to identify and describe what is known about PC use among Black HM patients in the United States.

METHODS

This review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute approach for scoping reviews and included a search of the databases MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Elsevier), Scopus and Web of Science (Clarivate). The search was developed and conducted by a professional medical librarian in consultation with the author team and focused on keywords such as Black/African American patients, HM, and PC. Articles were screened and selected based on predefined inclusion criteria and carried out using Covidence software for systematic review management.

RESULTS

Seven publications were included in the final sample and most used quantitative methods and data from large national databases such as the National Cancer Database. Four of the studies reported that Black patients with HM were less likely to receive or use PC compared to White patients. Access to PC was associated with better outcomes, such as lower hospital charges and a reduced likelihood of dying within 30 days of initiating palliative radiotherapy.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESULTS

This scoping review highlights ongoing inequities in the use of PC among Black patients with HM which mirrors trends in patients with solid cancers. Future studies should be conducted to understand the determinants of these disparities and to also build testable interventions to improve PC use within this underserved population.

Demystifying death: a qualitative study using the behavior change wheel framework to explore the palliative care education experiences of doctors, nurses, and community residents

Objective

To explore the palliative care education experiences of doctors, nurses, and community residents.

Methods

A semi-structured interview was conducted with 2 doctors, 8 nurses and 9 community residents in Jinan. Content analysis and behavior change wheel theory were used to analyze the interview content.

Results

Motivation: The road to be taken; Emotional touch of personal experiences; Prepare early; Not now. Capability: Multiple cognition; Need for a topic catalyst; Trust bias; Disconnect between learning and application; Treading on thin ice. Opportunity: Willing but unable; The Need for a larger voice and greater participation.

Conclusion

Community palliative care education requires greater attention. Community residents exhibit diverse perceptions and attitudes toward palliative care, reflecting the influence of personal experiences and sociocultural factors. Innovating the content and format of educational resources and enhancing education for community residents and medical staff will facilitate palliative care.

Navigating Alternative Medicine Preferences in Palliative Care: Challenges and Collaborative Solutions

Integrating alternative medicine into palliative care presents unique opportunities and challenges for healthcare providers. This article examines two clinical cases that illustrate the complexities of navigating patient preferences for alternative therapies within evidence-based palliative care. The first case involves a 50-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer who prioritized the use of herbal poultices and natural remedies following her faith as a Seventh-day Adventist. Despite her initial resistance to conventional treatments, the collaborative efforts of the palliative care team facilitated compromises that improved her quality of life, including the use of radiotherapy to manage bleeding and opioids for pain relief in her final days. The second case highlights a 68-year-old man with advanced pulmonary fibrosis who preferred herbal infusions in his oxygen humidifier, homeopathic remedies, and Reiki while declining opioids due to concerns about side effects. The team addressed his symptom management needs through patient-centered communication and interdisciplinary collaboration, incorporating safer alternatives and supportive therapies without compromising his values. These cases underscore the importance of balancing respect for patient autonomy with the imperative to provide safe and effective care. Key strategies include interdisciplinary collaboration, empathetic communication, and incorporating complementary therapies that align with patient values while mitigating risks. By fostering trust and maintaining flexibility, palliative care teams can effectively address the diverse needs of patients who seek alternative medicine, ensuring holistic and patient-centered care. The discussion provides actionable recommendations for integrating alternative medicine preferences into palliative care practice, emphasizing the need for ongoing education, monitoring, and collaboration to navigate these complex situations effectively.

Levels of Competence and Need for Continuing Education in Nonspecialist Palliative Care Settings-A Qualitative Study of Views from Finnish Health Care Professionals

Background

The need for palliative care (PC) is increasing due to the growing number of chronic diseases and an aging population. As such, the requirement to ensure the provision of PC is evident. This calls for PC competence for nurses working in nonspecialist PC settings.

Objective

The aim was to describe the views of Finnish health care professionals relating to PC competencies and the development needs for continuing education in nonspecialist PC settings.

Design

A qualitative study design.

Setting/subjects

The data were compiled via an e-survey from health care professionals working in nonspecialist PC settings in Finland; 281 participants answered the open question: "Tell us what you think about the competencies in palliative care."

Measurements

The data were analyzed using inductive content analysis.

Results

The description of PC competence was categorized into four main categories, including 64 subcategories. The main category containing the largest number of reduced expressions (f = 303) was "Perceived level of PC competence and development needs." The competence in PC was also identified as "Perceived need for continuing education in different palliative care competencies" (f = 243), "Building the foundations of one's own competence" (f = 133), and "Factors related to the work organization and connected to the competence enhancement" (f = 84).

Conclusion

The health care professionals in nonspecialist PC settings recognize the importance of ensuring competence and the need for continuous and regular education. The results of this study can be utilized in the planning of continuing education and in targeting it correctly.

Training an infectious disease unit in palliative care during and post COVID-19: a qualitative longitudinal study

Background

To understand palliative care needs and their changes perceived by health professionals (HPs) of the Infectious Diseases Unit who participated in palliative care (PC) intensive training during the pandemic and behind/during the pandemic and one year after the outbreak.

Methods

A longitudinal qualitative study. Thematic analysis and meaning shift were two months after training to one year. This specific thematic approach enabled the researchers to fully understand the experiences of the HPs after they participated in the intensive PC training program during the pandemic. Participant validation meeting with the ward's staff one year after the end of the course was performed. The two last validation meetings were used as a triangulation source to plan the new education projects.

Results

From March 9 to 28, 2020, the Palliative Care Services (PCS) developed intensive experiential training. Thirty-one HPs of the Infectious Diseases Unit (physicians and nurses) who were facing the COVID-19 emergency participated in the training. We conducted eight semi-structured interviews with HPs who participated in intensive training during the first wave of the pandemic (T0), two months (T1) after training and after one year (T2), during the second wave. Two validation meetings were performed as suggested by the best practices in medical education. Twenty-two infectious disease staff members participated, 8 physicians and 14 nurses. Our data show a meaning shift on five overarching themes (defined within the sub-themes): (1) Recognizing patients' palliative care needs; (2) Responses to palliative care needs; (3) Increasing attention to intervention and care choices; (4) The suffering of health professionals; (5) Training evaluations and future expectations. At the end of Pandemic period, new training needs and acquisition have emerged. Palliative care needs changed over time: the COVID-19 themes are now far from their perception, and somehow the skills acquired during the intensive training are less present.

Conclusion

The pandemic led to a rapid acquisition of competencies and changes in the professionals' behaviors, maintenance of professionals' knowledge and competencies at two months and one year. COVID has improved relationships and increased interactions with the infectious world but that it has not been enough. The integration between PC and Infectious world needs models of integration to implement.

Experiences with a national team-based learning program for advance care planning in pediatric palliative care

BACKGROUND

Advance Care Planning (ACP) enables patients and relatives to define and share values, goals and preferences for future medical treatment and care. The IMplementing Pediatric Advance Care Planning Toolkit (IMPACT), developed in the Netherlands, is a method for conducting ACP in pediatric palliative care. Healthcare professionals who were trained to use IMPACT, indicated their need for ongoing support to practice ACP communication skills optimally over time. Therefore, we developed a team-based learning program aimed at teaching participants how to transfer knowledge on ACP, continue practicing ACP communication skills and reflect on ACP conversations within their own team context. The aim of this study was to evaluate the program's transfer of knowledge as well as the professionals' experience and team reflection on ACP.

METHODS

A one-day IMPACT train-the-trainer course was developed and a selection of healthcare professionals (facilitators) from pediatric palliative care teams (PPCTs) from all seven Dutch university hospitals and the specialized Center for Pediatric Oncology were invited to participate. Hereafter, facilitators were asked to transfer their course-acquired knowledge to their team members (learners) by organizing two coaching-on-the-job sessions. A mixed-methods design, combining questionnaires and field notes, was used to evaluate the level of knowledge transfer and team reflection achieved.

RESULTS

Eighteen healthcare professionals in the role of facilitator participated in the train-the-trainer course. In seven PPCTs one (n = 3) or two (n = 4) coaching-on-the-job session(s) took place, attended by 29 and 17 learners, respectively. In the questionnaires, 11 facilitators indicated that they had to some extent transferred acquired knowledge to their team members as intended. Sixteen out of 21 learners who participated in at least one coaching-on-the-job session, reported (somewhat) increased self-confidence for conducting ACP conversations. The reported main strength of the program was practicing with/learning from colleagues whereas dealing with workload and variation in existing ACP skills within PPCTs need more attention.

CONCLUSIONS

The newly developed team-based learning program resulted in intended transfer of knowledge and methodical reflection on ACP in coaching-on-the-job sessions in most participating PPCTs. Planning coaching-on-the-job sessions regarding ACP in pediatric palliative care with multiple healthcare professionals is challenging and needs more emphasis in the training.

Helping patients prepare their dependent children for parental death: mixed-methods evaluation of a codeveloped training programme for palliative and allied healthcare professionals in the UK

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate how the codesigned training programme, 'No conversation too tough', can help cancer, palliative and wider healthcare professionals support patients to communicate with their dependent children when a parent is dying. We examined perceptions of learning provided by the training, its contribution to confidence in communicating with families when a parent is dying, and subjective experience of, and reactions to, the training. We also explored potential changes in practice behaviours.

DESIGN

Pre-post, convergent, parallel, mixed-methods study. Motivations for practice change were measured quantitatively, and qualitatively through semi-structured interviews. Non-parametric analysis was conducted for self-efficacy and outcome expectancy measures; descriptive statistics examined perceptions of usefulness; intentions to use learning in practice and reactions to the training. Semi-structured interviews examined motivations and perceptions of learning in depth. A 6-week, practice log recorded immediate practice effects and reflections.

SETTING

1-day training delivered 3 times, total delegates 36: online December 2021, February 2022, face-to-face March 2022. Questionnaires delivered correspondingly in online or paper formats, semi-structured interviews online.

PARTICIPANTS

Pre-post: palliative care professionals (n=14/12), acute cancer clinical nurse specialists (n=16/11), other healthcare professionals (n=5/5).

RESULTS

Positive changes were observed in self-efficacy (17 of 19 dimensions p<0.003) and outcome expectancies (3 of 14 beliefs p<0.036). Perceptions of usefulness and intentions to use learning in practice mean scores were 82-94 (scales 0=low to 100=high). There was high affirmation for sharing learning and influencing change in the workplace and wider practice. Content, style and delivery were positively endorsed. Further elements to be included in the training were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

The training programme has the potential to effect change in practice behaviours. A large-scale study will evaluate the roll-out of the training delivered to individual professionals and whole teams across the UK. It will provide longer-term feedback to understand practice behaviour and mediators of change across professional roles.

Unlocking timely palliative care: assessing referral practices and barriers at a ghanaian teaching hospital

BACKGROUND

The need for primary care physicians to be heavily involved in the provision of palliative care is growing. International agencies and practice standards advocate for early palliative care and the use of specialized palliative care services for patients with life-threatening illnesses. This study was conducted to investigate physicians' referral practices and perceived barriers to timely referral at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was employed using a convenience sampling technique to recruit 153 physicians for the study. Data on socio-demography, referral practices, timing and perceived barriers were collected using a structured questionnaire. Binary Logistic regression using crude and adjusted odds was performed to determine the factors associated with late referral. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The prevalence of late referral was reported to be 68.0%. There were poor referral practices among physicians to palliative care services, and the major barriers to late referral were attributed to the perception that referring to a palliative care specialist means that the physician has abandoned his patient and family members' decisions and physicians' personnel choices or opinions on palliative care.

CONCLUSION

The healthcare system needs tailored interventions targeted at improving physicians' knowledge and communication strategies, as well as tackling systemic deficiencies to facilitate early and appropriate palliative care referrals. It is recommended that educational programs be implemented, palliative care training be integrated into medical curricula and culturally sensitive approaches be developed to address misconceptions surrounding end-of-life care.

Barriers Faced by Healthcare Providers during Home Visits of Palliative Care Patients - A Qualitative Study

Objectives

We, the Department of Community Medicine, have been training healthcare providers for palliative care in the hospital and community setting. There were many difficulties in providing proper palliative care. The objective is to explore the various difficulties faced by Junior Residents, auxiliary nurse and midwife (ANM) and medical social workers (MSWs) during the home visits of palliative care patients and to address those difficulties in future visits.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in our peripheral institutions such as the Rural Health Training Centre and the Urban Health Training Centre among Junior Residents, ANMs and MSWs who had provided palliative care for the patients. Qualitative study design includes participatory research action techniques such as force field analysis, cobweb diagram, and pairwise ranking, and Systematic techniques include the Delphi technique.

Results

Indicators for difficulties faced by Junior Residents were derived and plotted based on priorities and joined to form a cobweb diagram. Difficulties were time constraints, lack of resources such as medications and transport facilities, need for specialist care, and non-adherence to the advice. Driving force and restraining force for palliative care were derived and plotted on the force field analysis. The favourable factors in providing palliative care services of the healthcare providers are self-satisfaction with treating the patient, satisfaction due to treatment at the doorstep, understanding the patient's psychological or social factors affecting their health, skill development and counselling of the patient. The restraining factors in providing palliative care services of the healthcare providers are time constraints, lack of resources, patient not following the advice properly, improper care by caregivers and unable to fulfill certain needs of the patient. Pairwise scoring/ranking was done for MSWs by plotting the issues faced in palliative care visits in rows and columns. The difficulties were time constraints, lack of resources, lack of proper knowledge of staff and need for specialist care. The possible potential solutions derived from the Delphi technique were proper planning to reduce time constraints and intense counseling of patients on adherence to treatment.

Conclusion

It helped to identify the difficulties faced by healthcare providers and to plan for solutions in future palliative home care visits.

Experiences of healthcare personnel with death in the neonatal intensive care unit: a systematic review of qualitative studies

OBJECTIVE

To synthesise evidence from qualitative studies on the experiences of healthcare personnel (HCP) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) caring for dying neonates.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic search, in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42021250015), of four databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL) from date of inception of the databases to 31 December 2021 using MeSH terms and related keywords. Data were analysed using three-step inductive thematic synthesis. Quality assessment of included studies was performed.

RESULTS

Thirty-two articles were included. There were 775 participants, majority (92.6%) of whom were nurses and doctors. Quality of studies was variable. The narratives of HCP coalesced into three themes: sources of distress, coping methods and the way forward. Sources of distress encompassed HCP's discomfort with neonatal deaths; poor communication among HCP and with patient's family; lack of support (from organisations, peers and HCP's family) and emotional responses (guilt, helplessness and compassion fatigue). Methods of coping included setting emotional boundaries, support from colleagues, clear communication and compassionate care and well-designed end-of-life workflows. Steps taken by HCP to move forward and overcome the emotionally turbulent effects of NICU deaths included finding meaning in death, building deeper relationship with patients' families and the NICU team and embracing purpose and pride in work.

CONCLUSION

HCP face several challenges when a death occurs in the NICU. HCP can provide better end-of-life care if their undesirable experiences with death are mitigated by better understanding and overcoming factors causing distress.

Public sentiments and the influence of information-seeking preferences on knowledge, attitudes, death conversation, and receptiveness toward palliative care: results from a nationwide survey in Singapore

Background

Low awareness about palliative care among the global public and healthcare communities has been frequently cited as a persistent barrier to palliative care acceptance. Given that knowledge shapes attitudes and encourages receptiveness, it is critical to examine factors that influence the motivation to increase knowledge. Health information-seeking from individuals and media has been identified as a key factor, as the process of accessing and interpreting information to enhance knowledge has been shown to positively impact health behaviours.

Objective

Our study aimed to uncover public sentiments toward palliative care in Singapore. A conceptual framework was additionally developed to investigate the relationship between information-seeking preferences and knowledge, attitudes, receptiveness of palliative care, and comfort in death discussion.

Design and Methods

A nationwide survey was conducted in Singapore with 1226 respondents aged 21 years and above. The data were analysed through a series of hierarchical multiple regression to examine the hypothesised role of information-seeking sources as predictors.

Results

Our findings revealed that 53% of our participants were aware of palliative care and about 48% were receptive to receiving the care for themselves. It further showed that while information-seeking from individuals and media increases knowledge, attitudes and receptiveness to palliative care, the comfort level in death conversations was found to be positively associated only with individuals, especially healthcare professionals.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight the need for public health authorities to recognize people's deep-seated beliefs and superstitions surrounding the concept of mortality. As Asians view death as a taboo topic that is to be avoided at all costs, it is necessary to adopt multipronged communication programs to address those fears. It is only when the larger communicative environment is driven by the media to encourage public discourse, and concurrently supported by timely interventions to trigger crucial conversations on end-of-life issues between individuals, their loved ones, and the healthcare team, can we advance awareness and benefits of palliative care among the public in Singapore.

Perception of social inequities in the access to the kidney transplant waiting list by nephrology trainees: a national survey

BACKGROUND

Social inequalities in health are responsible for disparities in access to the kidney transplant waiting list (KTWL). The perception of disparities by nephrologists has consequences for the registration on the KTWL. The purposes of our study were to assess the perception of the factors implicated in the disparities in access to the KTWL by nephrology trainees and to assess the quality of the questionnaire.

METHODS

A questionnaire was developed to assess the perception of the determinants of the inequities in access to waitlisting. Continuous variables were described by median, 1st and 3rd quartiles. Categorical variables were described by frequencies and percentages. A principal component analysis and a hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to approach the correlation between the variables. A scree plot and a factor analysis were performed to determine the dimensions of the questionnaire. The internal consistency was estimated by Cronbach's coefficient.

RESULTS

The response rate was 98/110 (89%). The determinants of inequities in the access to KTWL not perceived by the nephrology trainees were "female sex", "income level" and "the centre provision to adapt the information to all of the patients" (18,3%, 36,7, 47% respectively). "Age", "being born abroad", "place of living", "education level", "transplant centre", "the health care provider" were determinants of disparities perceived by most of the trainees (85,7%, 75,5%, 82,6%, 78,6%, 73,5% et 78,5% respectively). Items related to the transplant centre were positively correlated, as well as "being born abroad", "education level" and "income level". The Cronbach's coefficient was 0,60.

CONCLUSION

Social inequalities in health are partially perceived by nephrology trainees. A teaching session could raise nephrologists' awareness of this issue and could help reduce the impact of these disparities on the course of ESKD (end-stage kidney disease) patients.

Negotiating the Beginning of Care: A Grounded Theory Study of Health Services for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

A range of professional figures are needed to preserve the quality of life of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study aimed to explore the beginning of the care process as negotiated by people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals. We designed the study according to the constructivist Grounded Theory method, collecting data through open-ended, semi-structured interviews, employing theoretical sampling and constant comparison, and performing conceptual coding as data analysis. By naming the core category "off-beat interfacing", we were able to show how the demands of the professionals concerned did not correspond to the ability of people with ALS and their proxies to process information, deal with requests, and be at ease in making decisions at the beginning of the shared care pathway. Three categories were generated: (i) navigating different paths, (ii) offering and experiencing a standard, non-personalized pathway, and (iii) anticipating decisions. The network of services must be organized according to guidelines, but must also contemplate a patient-family-centered approach that permits more personalized assistance.

Building the Nigerian Palliative Care Workforce: An Interdisciplinary Distance Learning Training Program

Background:

Education and capacity building in palliative care are greatly needed in Nigeria. Currently, two institutions integrate palliative care into the undergraduate medical curriculum and no post graduate training exists. A team from the University of Lagos in Nigeria and Northwestern University in the US collaborated to design, implement, and evaluate a 12-hour virtual palliative care training program for Nigerian health professionals.

Objective:

This study investigated the impact of the first session of the training program on healthcare professionals’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence in palliative care.

Methods:

The Education in Palliative and End-of-Life (EPEC) curriculum and the Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) curriculum were used as foundations for the program and adapted for the Nigerian context. Delivered online, the training focused on goals of palliative care, whole patient assessment, communication skills, pain management, psychosocial issues, palliative care in COVID, oncology, and HIV. A mixed-methods evaluation based on Kirkpatrick’s evaluation framework was used and data were gathered from surveys and focus groups.

Findings:

Thirty-five health professionals completed the training. The training had a positive impact on knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Confidence in providing end-of-life care increased from 27.3% to 92.9% while confidence in prescribing medication to relieve symptoms at the end of life increased from 42.9% to 92.0%. Performance on multiple-choice knowledge tests increased by 10% (p < 0.01). All participants stated that they would recommend the program to a peer while 96.4% reported the program was relevant to the Nigerian context. Qualitative analysis suggested that the training would help participants provide more holistic care for patients, communicate better, and change how they interacted with families. Topics to be addressed in future training were identified.

Conclusions:

This virtual training can be an important element in palliative care capacity building in Nigeria and represents a model for global health collaboration.

Instruments to measure skills and knowledge of physicians and medical students in palliative care: A systematic review of psychometric properties

PURPOSE

Palliative care is constantly increasing around the world. The knowledge and skills of future physicians in this area are crucial. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of knowledge and skills questionnaires used in palliative care, validated by physicians or medical students based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology.

METHODS

A systematic review was carried out in Cosmin Databases, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, SciELO, Cinahl, and Medline up to September 2020 (updated June 2021), based on the COSMIN methodology and PRISMA recommendations. The psychometric properties of each included questionnaire were identified. Methodological quality, quality of results, and quality of evidence were evaluated.

RESULTS

The search strategy yielded 12 questionnaires assessing the knowledge and skills of physicians or medical students. The Palliative Care Knowledge Questionnaire for PEACE (PEACE-Q) and Palliative Care Knowledge Test (PCKT) were the instruments with the highest scores for methodological quality, quality of results, and quality of evidence-based on the COSMIN methodology.

CONCLUSIONS

PEACE-Q and PCKT should be the preferred choice to assess palliative care knowledge and skills in physicians. In-depth studies following COSMIN validation criteria are recommended to improve the psychometric properties and cross-cultural validation of the questionnaires.

Effectiveness of International Hospice and Palliative Care Training for Health Care Professionals in Countries of the Western Pacific Region

As hospice and palliative care is a holistic service grounded in spirituality, training in spiritual care is essential. This study aimed to describe an international workforce training program for hospice and palliative care that emphasized spiritual care and evaluate the effectiveness of the training implementation. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 28 health care professionals from 4 countries in the Western Pacific Region, who attended the international workforce trainings on hospice and palliative care. Data were collected before and after the trainings using a self-reported survey questionnaire. The participants' palliative care knowledge, spiritual well-being, perceived stress, and compassion competency were analyzed to evaluate the training program. Whereas the participants' knowledge of hospice and palliative care ( P < .001) and compassion competency increased ( P = .004), their perceived stress decreased post training ( P = .002). This study provided an extensive description of an international workforce training program of hospice and palliative care for potential replication of the training in other regions of the world. Because training in hospice and palliative care positively influenced health care professionals' spiritual care competency, future training and studies should consider spiritual care factors, along with intellectual aspects.

Lesson Learned From Hospital Palliative Care Service in a Cancer Research Center in Italy: Results of 5 Years of Experience

Background

International studies have documented that over a third of all hospital beds are occupied by patients with palliative care needs in their last year of life. Experiences of Palliative Care Services that take place prevalently or exclusively in hospital settings are very few in Italy.

Objective

Describe clinical, educational and research activities performed by a hospital PCS and discussing opportunities and critical issues encountered in an Italian Cancer Center.

Method

Retrospective data regarding adults with advanced stage diseases referred from January 2015 to December 2019.

Results

Clinical activity - The PCS performed 2422 initial consultations with an average of 484 initial consultations per year. A majority of patients had advanced cancer, from 85% to 72%, with an average of 2583 total consultations per year and an average of 4.63 consultations per patient. The penetrance has increased over time from 6.3% to 15.75%. Educational and research activity - Since 2015, PCS has provided training to health professionals (HPs) of different departments of our hospital. Most of the educational projects for HPs were part of research projects, for example the communication training program, management of pain and end-of-life symptoms and the training program for PC-based skills.

Conclusion

Our data suggests that a PCS able to provide palliative care to inpatients and outpatient and continuous training support to other hospital specialists can relatively quickly improve the level of its penetrance in hospital activities.

Exploring healthcare professionals' experiences with informal family cancer caregiving

Caring for a family member with cancer is often associated with significant cognitive, emotional, and physical demands. Although considerable research has explored informal cancer caregiver role burden, research has seldom focused on the experiences of individuals who hold the dual role of informal caregiver and healthcare professional. This qualitative study begins to explore this dual role experience. Participants (N = 12) who had at least 1 year of prior professional experience and cared for a family member with cancer were recruited conveniently from a large university-affiliated hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted. Using thematic analysis, key themes were developed from verbatim transcripts: (1) salient dual role advantages, (2) significant challenges related to this role, (3) changes in professional practice as a consequence of informal caregiving, and (4) important palliative and end-of-life care access issues. Whereas professional knowledge helped advocate on behalf of patients, the dual role often came with over-solicitation from others, enhanced sense of responsibility, increased burden, and significant distress. Further study of critical ramifications linked to jointly enacting informal and professional caregiving across various health contexts should continue to inform supportive care strategies for this understudied yet increasingly prevalent segment of the caregiver population.

Consultations’ demand for a hospital palliative care unit: how to increase appropriateness? Implementing and evaluating a multicomponent educational intervention aimed at increase palliative care complexity perception skill

Background

Planned, multidisciplinary teams’ discussions of cases are common in cancer care, but their impact on patients’ outcome is not always clear. Palliative care (PC) needs might emerge long before the last weeks of life. Many palliative care patients could be managed from the usual care staff, if appropriately trained; specialist palliative care should be provided to patients with more complex needs. Staff needs adequate training, so that only patients presenting a higher complexity are properly referred to the second level (“specialized”) PC services. In the considered hospital setting, “tumour boards” (multidisciplinary discussions) refer often to a low number of patients. Overall complexity of patients’ needs is hardly considered.

Methods

A mixed method pilot study with data triangulation of professionals’ interviews and an independently structured evaluation of complexity of referred patients, before and after the intervention, using the PALCOM instrument. We trained four teams of professionals to deliver first-level palliation and to refer patients with complex needs detected in multidisciplinary discussions. A multicomponent, first level PC educational intervention, including information technology’s adaptation, a training course, and bedside training was offered from the specialized PC Services, to all the HPs involved in multidisciplinary pancreas, lung, ovarian, and liver tumour boards.

Results

While the level of complexity of referred patients did not increase, trainees seemed to develop a better understanding of palliative care and a higher sensitivity to palliative needs. The number of referred patients increased, but patients’ complexity did not. Qualitative data showed that professionals seemed to be more aware of the complexity of PC needs. A “meaning shift” was perceived, specifically on the referral process (e.g., “when” and “for what” referring to specialist PC) and on the teams’ increased focus on patients’ needs. The training, positively received, was adapted to trainees’ needs and observations that led also to organizational modifications.

Conclusions

Our multicomponent intervention positively impacted the number of referrals but not the patients’ complexity (measured with the PALCOM instrument). Hospital staff does not easily recognize that patients may have PC needs significantly earlier than at the end of life.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-022-00968-7.

From classroom training to e-learning: a journey through the quality of learning life of nurse students in post-graduate education - A longitudinal qualitative study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

recent studies regarding COVID-19 experiences of nursing students highlighted the effect of the transition from face-to-face to online education, rather than the complexity of the overall quality of educational life. This study aim investigating of how the students perceive the quality of educational life in the forced online training, searching for any shift of meanings concerning the students learning experience, from the first phase of the sudden transition to online and the online stabilization phase.

METHODS

a longitudinal qualitative study, carried during two moments of the online teaching activity forced by COVID-19, the first one in May-June 2020 and the second six months later in January -February 2021. A convenience sample of 24 students attending post-graduate courses for health professions recruited at University of Parma, answered in-depth interviews, videotaped, verbatim transcribed and analyzed using the Braun and Clarke model.

RESULTS

five themes emerged from meaning shift of data collection: reactions to change in educational life; factors favoring a new quality of educational life; factors hindering the perception of the quality of educational life; adaptation strategies to the new educational life; tools and strategies to facilitate communication and the absence of the classroom.

CONCLUSIONS

participants perceive advantages of online teaching, on quality of their educational life. The issue of how to create opportunities for internship period remains open. Further research to understand online internship and exploring what extent it is essential to propose it in face-to-face modality.

The Specialist Palliative Care Nurses' in an Italian Hospital: role, competences, and activities

Background and aim of the work:

Many authors tried to clarify the palliative care nurses’ role, overall in the home care setting, but little is known in different settings of care. We aim to present a Specialist profile of palliative care (PC) nurses in an Italian hospital-based Palliative Care Unit.

Methods:

With an organizational case study approach, we conducted a literature review on PC nurse’s role, and we presented the Specialist PC nurses’ profile, describing competences and key related activities.

Results:

Our specialist profile highlights that clinical activities are similar to the experiences described in the literature (symptom assessment and management, communication, interprofessional work), while training and research activities are new fields of interest that it’s important to explore and promote, most of all in our country.

Conclusions:

Sustaining the flexibility of the role, being recognized by colleagues and keeping the three dimensions connected are the major challenges: drawing up a specialist palliative care nurses’ profile can help the team to better define the role framework in an interdisciplinary context.

"Teach for ethics in palliative care": a mixed-method evaluation of a medical ethics training programme

BACKGROUND

Training in medical ethics aims to educate health care professionals in dealing with daily care ethical issues. To guarantee quality of life and spiritual and emotional support, palliative care professionals have to develop ethical and relational skills. We propose the implementation and evaluation of a specialized training programme in medical ethics dedicated to a hospital-based Palliative Care Unit.

METHODS

This study is a mixed-method before-after evaluation with data triangulation.

RESULTS

The results highlight that participants developed their ethical knowledge, and a deeper ethical awareness. They also felt more confident and motivated to widely apply ethical reflections and reasonings in their daily practice.

CONCLUSION

The participants appreciated the innovative structure of the training, especially regarding the integration of the theoretical-interactive and practical parts. However, they recommended increasing the number of concrete occasions for ethical supervision and practical application of what they learned during the programme. The training programme also has some potential practical implications: the development of advanced ethical skills within a hospital-based PC team may improve the quality of life of the patients and their families. In addition, health care professionals with advanced ethical competencies are able to educate patients and their families towards more active participation in the decision-making process.