Paramedics and serious illness: communication training.

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Palliative care
• Healthcare communication

Background:

• Empowering ambulance service staff in end-of-life care (EoLC) is critical.
• The Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) project focused on enhancing EoLC delivery.
• Training addressed communication skills, symptom control, and shared decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the delivery and outcomes of a Serious Illness Conversation project for WAST staff.
• To assess the impact of training on staff self-confidence and perception of their role in EoLC.
• To identify challenges and barriers in EoLC communication for ambulance personnel.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was used for data analysis.
• 368 WAST staff attended 18 months of face-to-face training.
• Data explored staff roles, challenges, and the impact of training on confidence and service delivery.

Main Results:

• Staff perceive key roles as facilitators, support providers, and liaisons in EoLC.
• Communication barriers were identified as predominant challenges.
• Statistically significant improvements in self-assessed confidence across six communication domains were observed.

Conclusions:

• Training customization based on perceived roles and challenges is recommended.
• The project demonstrates increased confidence in handling communication issues for WAST staff.
• Initial findings suggest a positive impact on end-of-life patient care.