Improving Access to Palliative Care through Education and Training.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Palliative Care
• Rural Health

Background:

• Aging populations, particularly in rural areas, experience higher mortality and chronic illness rates.
• Limited access to specialty palliative care exacerbates health challenges in these communities.
• There is a critical need for widespread palliative care education among all clinicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of palliative care education for all clinicians.
• To describe the Interdisciplinary Palliative Care (IPC) Seminar as a successful training model.
• To emphasize the growing need for palliative care education in South Dakota.

Main Methods:

• The Interdisciplinary Palliative Care (IPC) Seminar has provided foundational palliative care training for 22 years.
• The seminar transitioned to virtual delivery in 2020, expanding statewide participation.
• The University of South Dakota Interprofessional Health Education Center hosts the seminar, encouraging interdisciplinary involvement.

Main Results:

• The IPC Seminar has demonstrated significant student learning outcomes over 22 years.
• Virtual delivery has increased accessibility and participation across South Dakota.
• The program successfully trains students from multiple disciplines in palliative care fundamentals.

Conclusions:

• Comprehensive palliative care education is essential for all clinicians to address the needs of the aging rural population.
• The IPC Seminar serves as a proven model for interdisciplinary palliative care training.
• Continued expansion of palliative care education is necessary to meet growing demand.