A novel interprofessional approach to end-of-life care education: A pilot study

Abstract

Navigating the biomedical, emotional, and logistical complexity of end-of-life (EOL) care requires seamless interprofessional teamwork. Unfortunately, EOL care, interprofessional collaboration, and the role of support services such as hospice are not adequately emphasized in nursing and medical curricula. This article describes a student-run program, entitled the “HeArt of Medicine”, which was designed to foster a reflective and collaborative approach to EOL care. The program consists of three workshops with a novel blend of art, science, and practical information, highlighting the need for interprofessional teamwork. Participants were surveyed before and after the workshops on their attitudes toward EOL care. Composite participant scores after workshops demonstrated increased comfort with and knowledge of EOL care topics (p = 0.001). The results show that this program has had a positive impact on participants’ knowledge, comfort, and collaboration in EOL settings.

• Education
• end-of-life care
• hospice
• interprofessional nursing education
• palliative care
• undergraduate medical education

Acknowledgements

We thank the wonderful faculty from the UVA Schools of Medicine and Nursing and Dr. James Avery (CEO) and members of the Hospice of the Piedmont for their enduring mentorship and assistance.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the writing and content of this article.

Funding

This program would not be possible without the generous financial support of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation; Mr. Stuart Houston and Mrs. Betsy Houston; the Jefferson Trust; and the UVA Medical Alumni Association.