Educational needs of nursing home staff: does a needs-based palliative care course make a difference?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Palliative Care
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Increasing elderly population in nursing homes (NHs) leads to more deaths within these facilities.
• Limited palliative care training in nursing curricula and reliance on foreign-trained staff pose challenges.
• There is a need to enhance palliative care expertise among nursing home staff in Singapore.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a needs-based palliative care course.
• To improve the knowledge and attitudes of nursing home nurses in Singapore.
• To assess the sustainability of knowledge and attitude changes post-intervention.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 25 nurses participated in an 8-week multidisciplinary palliative care course.
• Knowledge was assessed using a 50-item test at baseline and at 3 and 6 months post-course.
• Attitudes and nursing practices were explored through semistructured interviews at 3 months.

Main Results:

• Mean knowledge scores significantly increased from baseline to 3 months post-course.
• Improvements were noted in end-of-life care knowledge up to 6 months and pain/symptom management at 3 months.
• Nurses reported enhanced communication skills and compassion, though application was sometimes limited.

Conclusions:

• A multidisciplinary, needs-based palliative care course effectively increased knowledge and improved attitudes among nursing home nurses.
• The positive impact on knowledge and attitudes was sustained for at least three months.
• The course utilized various teaching modalities and follow-up assessments to ensure efficacy.