Action research in a palliative care education programme.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Medical Education
• Action Research

Background:

• Palliative care education programs are often pre-planned and unresponsive to actual needs.
• District nurses require tailored education to address the complexities of palliative care.
• Bridging the gap between theory and practice is crucial in nursing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empower district nurses to identify their own palliative care education needs.
• To develop responsive palliative care education programs through collaborative action research.
• To explore the role of reflective practice in identifying and addressing evolving educational requirements.

Main Methods:

• An action research approach was employed, involving collaboration with district nurses.
• Reflective practice was integrated to facilitate ongoing identification of learning needs.
• The study focused on generating theory from practical experience.

Main Results:

• District nurses successfully identified their specific palliative care education needs.
• The action research and reflective practice approach led to the development of responsive education programs.
• Continual reflective practice reduced the theory-practice gap, with theory emerging from practice.

Conclusions:

• Reflective practice is a valuable tool for identifying nursing education needs, particularly in emerging fields like palliative care.
• Knowledge gained from reflective practice is as relevant as academic theories in nursing.
• This approach enhances understanding of palliative care complexities and associated educational needs.