Harden et al., 2017; Hughes et al., 2006; O’Shae & Mager, 2019; McClement et al., 2005). Current palliative care education focuses on adult palliative care. To address this gap in pediatric palliative care training, we created and implemented a brief online education that introduced a general overview of pediatric palliative care. We tested the effectiveness of this training on increasing awareness and improving perceptions of palliative care among registered nurses working in a hospital setting.

Methodology

A brief online education video was created to provide a general overview of pediatric palliative care. Eligible registered nurses across six clinical units at an academic pediatric hospital were recruited to complete a pre-test online education, and a post-test. The pre- and post-tests included questions assessing awareness of and perceptions toward palliative care using the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (PCQN). (Ross et al., 1996). The questions can be seen in Appendix A. The four questions had the following response options: “true”, “false”, and “I don’t know” (Ross et al., 1996). Three open-ended questions were used to gather qualitative data on hospice and palliative care definitions and the likelihood of suggesting a pediatric palliative care consult (see Appendix B). The project was IRB approved and registered nurses were recruited via email and flyers which included a Qualtrics link to the pre-test, education, and post-test. Data was collected for seven weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize frequencies, central tendencies, and variation of demographic data. McNamar Tests were used to determine if a statistical significance existed between PCQN pre- and post-test responses. Open-ended responses were coded into recurring categories to identify trends before and after the education.

Results

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Doctor of Nursing Practice Inquiry Project Executive Summary Testing a Pediatric Palliative Care Education Workplace Intervention

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doctor of Nursing Practice Inquiry Project

Executive Summary

Testing a Pediatric Palliative Care Education Workplace Intervention

 

Courtney James

 

Purdue University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Problem Statement and Significance

            Pediatric palliative care is a beneficial service that aims to improve quality of life for children and their families suffering from serious illness (National Institute of Nursing Research, 2015). Through focus on the needs of the child and family, palliative care has the ability to increase comfort for its recipient (National Institute of Nursing Research, 2015). Despite its benefit, palliative care, in the adult and pediatric setting, is underutilized. An estimated 400,000 children and families who would benefit from palliative care services do not receive them (Center to Advance Palliative Care [CAPC], 2019). Although several barriers have been identified as causes to underutilization, the lack of palliative care provider education is one that directly impacts both providers and patients (Aldridge et al., 2015). Nurses are not exempt from this impact; and while they cannot initiate palliative care consults, nurses who are familiar with palliative care play crucial roles in advocating for this service (Fitch et al., 2015). Palliative care education has shown to be effective in improving knowledge and changing attitudes toward palliative care among nurses (Harden et al., 2017; Hughes et al., 2006; O’Shae & Mager, 2019; McClement et al., 2005). Current palliative care education focuses on adult palliative care. To address this gap in pediatric palliative care training, we created and implemented a brief online education that introduced a general overview of pediatric palliative care. We tested the effectiveness of this training on increasing awareness and improving perceptions of palliative care among registered nurses working in a hospital setting.

Methodology

A brief online education video was created to provide a general overview of pediatric palliative care. Eligible registered nurses across six clinical units at an academic pediatric hospital were recruited to complete a pre-test online education, and a post-test. The pre- and post-tests included questions assessing awareness of and perceptions toward palliative care using the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (PCQN). (Ross et al., 1996). The questions can be seen in Appendix A. The four questions had the following response options: “true”, “false”, and “I don’t know” (Ross et al., 1996). Three open-ended questions were used to gather qualitative data on hospice and palliative care definitions and the likelihood of suggesting a pediatric palliative care consult (see Appendix B). The project was IRB approved and registered nurses were recruited via email and flyers which included a Qualtrics link to the pre-test, education, and post-test. Data was collected for seven weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize frequencies, central tendencies, and variation of demographic data. McNamar Tests were used to determine if a statistical significance existed between PCQN pre- and post-test responses. Open-ended responses were coded into recurring categories to identify trends before and after the education.

Results

            In total, 43 out of 244 individuals responded to the survey. Forty-eight percent (n=21) of participants completed the survey. The 21 completed surveys were used for the analysis. Analysis of demographic data using descriptive statistics revealed that 95.2% of participants were female, 85.7% had a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 85.7% were White, and 0% identified as Hispanic or Latino. Participants ranged in age from 24 to 50 years with a mean age of 30.9 years. Among the 11 practice specialties included in the study, a majority of participants, 61.9%, practiced within the pulmonary specialty. Years of experienced ranged from 1 to 27 years with 66.7% of participants having practiced

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