One-week training evaluation in hospital palliative care service for advanced nurses: a mixed method study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Palliative Care Medicine
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• The educational role of specialist palliative care teams is vital for nursing students.
• Literature on evaluating palliative care clinical training impact is limited.
• This study addresses the need for evaluating structured palliative care training for nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and evaluate a one-week training program in a Hospital Palliative Care Unit.
• To assess the impact of clinical training on nurses who completed a post-degree university course.
• To explore the integration of clinical, teaching, and research tasks in palliative care education.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, observational, mixed-method study design was employed.
• Before-after training evaluation and concurrent data triangulation were utilized.
• Qualitative analysis of reflective writings and quantitative analysis of portfolios were conducted.

Main Results:

• Qualitative analysis revealed themes of 'Palliative care between present and future,' 'Inpatient palliative care,' and 'Metamorphosis of the trainee.'
• Quantitative analysis showed a statistically significant increase in perceived knowledge and skills in modern palliative care, end-of-life management, and advanced communication.
• Concurrent data triangulation confirmed consistency between qualitative and quantitative findings.

Conclusions:

• Training with specialist hospital palliative care teams effectively transfers knowledge about early and specialist palliative care.
• The study highlights the need for further research to confirm optimal structures for palliative care internships for nurses.
• Ongoing research is crucial for advancing palliative care education and practice.