Program List

 
   

Bring This Seminar to Your Hospital

OnSite and Host Site
 

Back to Top

Palliative Care Across the Spectrum: Care When There is No Cure

Download .PDF Back to List
  Seminar  eLearning  DVD-ROM  Audio CD 

Program Category: Continuing Education Course

Areas of Practice: Administration Ambulatory Care Behavioral Health Cardiology Certifications Critical Care Emergency Gastroenterology Med-Surg Neurology Nursing Legalities Orthopedic Pediatrics Pre, Peri, Post-Op Care Progressive Care/Stepdown Pulmonary Rehab Staff Development Women's Health/Perinatal Other

Course Description

This two-day program is designed to educate nurses and other healthcare professionals from a variety of settings including critical care, medical-surgical, emergency department, long-term care and hospice care about palliative care. Palliative care encompasses chronic and terminal disease management, pain and symptom management, excellent communication strategies, goals setting and end-of-life therapies. Because the nurse’s role in each of these areas is crucial, this seminar will help prepare the nurse to provide effective palliative care.

Key Learning Outcome

  • After completing the program, 80% of participants will report an increase in knowledge that will positively impact their practice.

Program Objectives

This program prepares the learner to:

  • Prepare the participant to engage in primary palliative care strategies in a variety of settings.
  • Describe the differences between hospice care and palliative care.
  • Formulate an approach to having a goal of care conversation.
  • Recognize natural opportunities for death based on specific disease trajectories.
  • Develop a plan of care for the patient who is actively dying.

Agenda

Sign-in begins at 7:30 am. Each day includes a one-hour lunch (on your own), as well as a morning and afternoon break of 15 minutes each. The order of lectures presented and break times may vary according to speaker preference.

Day 1, 8:00 am to 3:45 pm

  • Palliative Care: What Is It?
    Historical Perspectives: How did We get Here? | Definitions: End-of-Life, Comfort Care, Hospice Care—Is There a Difference? | Goals of Care: Whose Goals are They Anyway? | Dying the Good Death: Can Death be Good?
  • The Disease Trajectory
    CHF | COPD | Dementias | HIV, AIDS | Cancers
  • Symptom Management: Across All Settings—ICU to Home
    Dyspnea and Cough | Anxiety and Agitation | Nausea and Vomiting | Fatigue and Depression
  • Grief, Loss and Bereavement
    The Grief Process: Types of Grief | Grief Assessment: Who is Grieving? | Bereavement Interventions: What Can We Do?
  • Cultural and Spiritual Considerations
    Cultural Differences: Are They Important? | Spiritual Beliefs Regarding Death and Dying
  • Taking Care of You
    Death Anxiety | Cumulative Grief | Self Care

Day 2, 8:00 am to 3:45 pm

  • Pain Management
    Barriers to Pain Relief: They Don’t Look Like They are in Pain | Pain Assessment: What Am I Assessing? | Pharmacologic Therapies: Opioids, Adjunctive Meds | Non-Pharmacologic Interventions: Is it Quackery?
  • Ethical and Legal Issues
    Decision-Making Issues | Advance Directives | Withdrawing and Withholding Treatments | Double Effect Principal
  • Dying a Good Death
    Terminal Dehydration | Terminal Anorexia
  • Having “Those” Conversations: “Am I Dying?”
    The Communication Process | Factors Influencing Communication
  • Deceleration of Treatment
    Is This Legal? | What are We Doing?
  • The Imminently Dying Patient
    Psychological and Spiritual Signs | Physical Symptoms | Universal Signs of Imminent Death | Death Findings