Essential Education for End-of-Life Care

Introduction: The 2015 National Consensus Statement: essential elements for safe and high quality end-of-life care by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC)1 provided the impetus and framework for a major education initiative, led by Flinders University. End-of-life Essentials (EOLE) provides free evidence-based, peer-reviewed online learning modules, to help build health professional capacity in hospitals and is funded by the Australian Government, Department of Health. 52% of Australian die in acute hospitals and it is estimated up to 50% of these deaths are expected yet many health care professionals working in these settings feel poorly prepared to deliver quality end-of-life care.1
Objectives: At the conclusion of each module a statement asks for learner response: “Tomorrow, the one thing I can change to more appropriately provide end-of-life care is…” This question allows the clinician learner to consider what they have learned and how practice can immediately change, and allows the researchers to understand the impact of learning and the scope for practice change.
Methods: We analysed 3,203 responses to this practice change question using NVivo 11 and thematic inquiry.
Results:We provide a summary of the top three themese emotional insight, listening effectively, and goals, needs and expectations of the patient.
Conclusion(s): These results clarify clinicians’ responses to important national policy by articulating, from their perspective, the clinical opportunities around quality end-of-life care and the Consensus Statement. With the introduction of the 2nd edition to the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards the results are valuable to organisations and policy makers who are wanting to change health care outcomes.