Increasing Awareness of Palliative Care Fundamentals in the Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to implement an educational session highlighting palliative care fundamentals and evaluate the effect of the session on ICU RNs’ confidence levels in initiating a consult after attending.Background: Palliative care is an interdisciplinary approach to improving the quality of life for individuals with severe or life-limiting illnesses by addressing physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. Early integration can improve a patient’s quality of life and reduce healthcare costs. However, a lack of knowledge and training can lead to ineffective and underutilization of palliative care services. Therefore, educating nurses about palliative care fundamentals is vital in overcoming this barrier and utilizing their services appropriately. Methods: Nineteen ICU RNs participated in the educational session. A pre-/post-survey design was utilized to measure their confidence levels of palliative care and when to consult their services before and after the educational session. Data was collected using numerical identifiers to protect participants’ anonymity. Next, a paired samples t-test was conducted to evaluate the effect of the educational session on mean pre-/post-survey scores. Results: Data analysis revealed a statistically significant increase between pre-survey mean scores before the educational session (M = 2.86; SD = 0.69) and post-survey mean scores after the educational session (M = 3.79; SD = 0.33); [t(18) = -7.03, p = .001]. Also, differences in mean scores for individual questions were statistically significant (p < .001). Conclusions: The results support implementing a palliative care educational program as an effective mechanism for increasing ICU RNs confidence levels and understanding of the application and utilization of their services.