Using Existing Resources to Create a Successful End-of-Life Doula Program

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Gerontology
• Community Health

Background:

• The end-of-life doula role offers non-clinical support to patients and families navigating terminal illness.
• Hospice agencies are exploring structured programs to train volunteers for this specialized role.
• Integrating doulas aims to enhance patient care and family support during end-of-life journeys.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a performance improvement project for training hospice volunteers as end-of-life doulas.
• To evaluate the pilot program's impact on caregiver and staff satisfaction, and volunteer knowledge competency.
• To assess the feasibility and success of a doula training program within a hospice setting.

Main Methods:

• A hospice agency implemented a rigorous training program based on the Doula Model of Care for volunteers.
• Performance improvement metrics included caregiver satisfaction, staff satisfaction, and volunteer knowledge assessment.
• Data collection and program implementation were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Results:

• The pilot program successfully established a rigorous training curriculum for end-of-life doulas.
• Outcomes for patient and staff satisfaction were mixed, partly due to pandemic-related disruptions.
• Volunteer knowledge competency was a key focus and outcome of the training.

Conclusions:

• The developed training program provides a robust model for preparing end-of-life doulas.
• Despite challenges, the program demonstrates ongoing success with continued training and increasing volunteer engagement.
• Further evaluation is warranted to fully ascertain the impact on patient and family outcomes.