Region's Palliative Care Education a Success

Guysborough, Antigonish and Strait area residents are receiving improved palliative care services from better trained health-care workers thanks to Cancer Care Nova Scotia's Palliative Care Front-Line Education Program, says an evaluation released today, March 31.

Fifty-seven health professionals from Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority completed an evaluation after taking the three-day program. The evaluation indicates that the program content was appropriate, meaningful and applicable to the daily work of health-care providers. Through pre- and post-testing, participants demonstrated both an increase in and retention of knowledge.

"Palliative and supportive care is an essential component of a high-quality cancer system," said Dr. Andrew Padmos, commissioner, Cancer Care Nova Scotia. "The Palliative Care Front-Line Education Program has significantly increased the level of palliative care expertise available to Nova Scotia cancer patients and their families. It is providing health professionals with the knowledge they need to more skilfully manage the unique needs of their patients."

By covering such topics as pain management, spiritual and cultural considerations, and grief and bereavement, the Palliative Care Front-Line Education Program addresses the physical, emotional, social and spiritual impacts of dealing with a life-threatening illness. It is designed to provide front-line health-care workers with the education they need to deliver high- quality palliative care.

"This initiative helps build confidence among health professionals throughout the province -- and patients ultimately benefit from their enhanced knowledge," said Health Minister Angus MacIsaac.

The Palliative Care Front-Line Education Program encourages collaboration and the development of community partnerships by incorporating an interprofessional, team approach to education. To build on the program's success and further enhance the quality of palliative care services in Nova Scotia, Cancer Care Nova Scotia will provide continued support to districts that offer the three-day program.

"The Palliative Care Front-Line Education Program provided health-care providers in our district with standard training that reflected best practice in palliative care," said Madonna MacDonald, vice-president community health for Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority. "Our local sessions provided an opportunity for health-care providers and volunteers to network with each other, and access the support and training the system must provide in recognition of the critical contribution they make to palliative care in our district."

Mary MacFarlane, a social worker with the palliative care team at St. Martha's hospital when she completed the course, said it helped to clarify many issues surrounding palliative care. "Even though I was working in palliative care, the program provided me with additional knowledge that I could apply in many situations," she said. "I would like to see more palliative care education offered in our district and would definitely take advantage of the opportunity if it was available."

The Palliative Care Front-Line Education Program was developed in response to a needs assessment and a Palliative Care Roundtable hosted by Cancer Care Nova Scotia. It was modelled after the Rural Palliative Home Care Project, a federal health transition project conducted in 1999 and 2000.

Cancer Care Nova Scotia is a program of the Department of Health, created to reduce the burden of cancer on individuals, families and the health-care system through prevention, screening, education and research.