A Continuing Educational Program Supporting Health Professionals to Manage Grief and Loss

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Healthcare Professional Education
• Psychological Well-being

Background:

• Oncology professionals experience high stress and patient loss, leading to grief and compassion fatigue (CF).
• Prevalence of CF is significant, but knowledge among healthcare professionals is limited.
• Existing support systems may not adequately address the unique challenges faced by oncology staff.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a continuing education program on compassion fatigue (CF) and grief management for oncology health professionals.
• To enhance participants' knowledge of risk factors, protective variables, and coping strategies related to CF.
• To assess changes in confidence and knowledge regarding grief and loss management.

Main Methods:

• A six-week continuing education program incorporating virtual sessions, case-based learning, and an online community of practice.
• Content covered risk factors, protective variables, grief models, and management strategies for CF.
• Pre- and post-program evaluations measured confidence, knowledge, and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• 189 health professionals, primarily nurses, completed the program.
• Significant improvements (p < 0.05) were observed in confidence and knowledge concerning grief assessment, CF risk factors, and mitigation strategies.
• High levels of participant satisfaction were reported post-program.

Conclusions:

• A targeted educational program can effectively improve oncology professionals' understanding and management of compassion fatigue and grief.
• Continuing education is a valuable tool for supporting the well-being of healthcare providers in high-stress environments.
• Further initiatives are needed to address the prevalence and impact of CF in oncology care.