Palliative Care Education for Generalist Nurses Project

1
Palliative Care Education for Generalist Nurses
Project

• Sheila Small
• Lead Nurse
  Cancer and Palliative Care
• NWLH

2
Project Objectives

• To increase the nursing skills of the generalist
  ward nurse in caring for dying patients
• To encourage the utilisation of the End of Life
  Care Pathway
• To make explicit the resources for teaching /
  education from within the SPCT

3
Teaching strategies

• Clinical practice seen as learning environment
• Experiential learning mentorship / role modelling
  / clinical supervision
• Identification of link nurse scheme
• Induction programmes
• Theoretical Framework / programme of study to
  link theory with practice

4
Principles of Palliative Care

• Module aims
• Facilitate the delivery and critical evaluation
  of palliative care based on the best available
  evidence and personal reflection
• Increase and deepen the knowledge, skills and
  attitudes necessary to deliver competent and
  high quality holistic palliative care within the
  context of multidisciplinary team working,
  changing health care policy and new models and
  frameworks

5
Principles of Palliative Care

• Eighteen week course
• Six study days between weeks 1 and 14
• Two clinical visits
• Content
• Philosophy and principles of end of life care
• Assessment and Symptom management
• Communication issues and skills
• Loss, grief and bereavement
• Legal and ethical issues

6
Assessment

• Formative presentation
• Summative case study
• Academic Award
• 20 credits at level 6

7
Course participants

• 4 nursing staff from NWLH
• Medical Assessment Unit
• Respiratory
• Gastroenterology / Medicine
• Gynae / Breast Surgery

8
Progress to date

• Module is at half way stage
• Feedback from participants good
• Evidence of effective use of pathway in these
  clinical areas
• Grateful for opportunity to be able to send
  nurses
• on module of study.
• Plan to evaluate staff feedback and also
  contribute
• to module evaluation.