Peer-professional workgroups in palliative care: a strategy for advancing professional discourse and practice

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Professional Development in Healthcare

Background:

• Initiated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care program.
• Focused on improving end-of-life care through national peer-professional workgroups.
• Aimed to integrate palliative care into various medical specialties and settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish research and practice agendas for palliative care integration.
• To expand palliative care delivery to underserved patient populations.
• To test the hypothesis that expert workgroups could develop actionable recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Convened eight specialized workgroups (e.g., HIV/AIDS, critical care, pediatric palliative care).
• Provided administrative support, coordination, and funding for group meetings.
• Utilized a workgroup charter to define scope and set time-limited goals.

Main Results:

• Workgroups developed and disseminated recommendations for practice, education, research, and policy.
• Created educational programs, curricula, and diverse resources.
• Published articles to influence clinical norms and professional discourse.

Conclusions:

• The national peer-professional workgroup model exceeded expectations in advancing palliative care.
• Produced valuable recommendations and resources for expanding palliative care access and quality.
• Suggests the workgroup model is a cost-effective strategy for quality improvement in other fields.