1. Creating a Fabric for Palliative Care in Safety Net Hospitals.
- Author
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Virani, Rose, Malloy, Pamela, Dahlin, Connie, and Coyne, Patrick
- Subjects
COMPUTER assisted instruction ,ENDOWMENTS ,HOSPITALS ,MEDICALLY uninsured persons ,MENTORING ,NURSES' attitudes ,PALLIATIVE treatment ,PERSONNEL management ,PUBLIC hospitals ,TERMINAL care ,ADULT education workshops ,TEACHING methods ,HUMAN services programs ,EVALUATION of human services programs - Abstract
As the numbers of medically uninsured rise, more and more Americans are depending on public/safety net (P/SN hospitals--hospitals responsible for the care of the uninsured and underinsured, The Center to Advance Palliative Care has found that far fewer P/SN hospitals report palliative care services, compared with similarly sized not-for-profit hospitals, While the development of dedicate palliative care services is an important way to enhance palliative care in P/SN hospitals, P/SN providers may need to develop alternative strategies in these underresourced settings. The purpose of this article was to describe the implementation and evaluation of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium for Public Hospitals (ELNEC-PH), a comprehensive, statewide initiative to enhance palliative car education and leadership in 16 (out of 17) California P/SN hospitals. Funded by a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation, the 2-year (2011-2013) ELNEC-PH nursing project was designed to provide education and mentoring the public hospital nurses and to promote collaboration between participants and their hospital-based palliative care programs. The ELNEC-PH project consisted of 5 main activities: ELNEC education, mentoring, online palliative car education, an annual grantee meeting, and a workshop. At 18 months after course, participants reported that the program significantly increased their effectiveness and ability to teach palliative care content to their colleagues (P = .028). There was a significant increase in the number of educational programs for all modules offered across all 16 hospitals (P < .05). Lessons learned included developing a team, aligning the palliative care program with the goals and mission of the organization, and identifying key stakeholders and their needs. The ELNEC-PH project has been an invaluable educational effort that has attempted to address the growing need for palliative care education in California P/SN hospitals, which can be a model for other P/SN hospitals nationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
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