Lori Earnshaw

The Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Oncology Palliative Care Education (iCOPE): Meeting the Challenge of Interprofessional Education

UNLABELLED Background: Interprofessional education is necessary to prepare students of the health professions for successful practice in todays health care environment. Because of its expertise in interdisciplinary practice and team-based care, palliative care should be leading the way in creating educational opportunities for students to learn the skills for team practice and provision of quality patient-centered care. Multiple barriers exist that can discourage those desiring to create and implement truly interdisciplinary curriculum. DESIGN An interdisciplinary faculty team planned and piloted a mandatory interdisciplinary palliative oncology curriculum and responded to formative feedback. SETTING/SUBJECTS The project took place at a large public metropolitan university. Medical, nursing, and social work students and chaplains completing a clinical pastoral education internship participated in the curriculum. MEASUREMENTS Formative feedback was received via the consultation of an interdisciplinary group of palliative education experts, focus groups from students, and student evaluations of each learning modality. RESULTS Multiple barriers were experienced and successfully addressed by the faculty team. Curricular components were redesigned based on formative feedback. Openness to this feedback coupled with flexibility and compromise enabled the faculty team to create an efficient, sustainable, and feasible interdisciplinary palliative oncology curriculum. CONCLUSION Interdisciplinary palliative education can be successful if faculty teams are willing to confront challenges, accept feedback on multiple levels, and compromise while maintaining focus on desired learner outcomes.

Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Curriculum Teaching Team-Based Palliative Care Integration in Oncology

For students of the health care professions to succeed in today’s health care environment, they must be prepared to collaborate with other professionals and practice on interdisciplinary teams. As most will care for patients with cancer, they must also understand the principles of palliative care and its integration into oncology. This article reports the success of one university’s effort to design and implement an interdisciplinary curriculum teaching team-based palliative care in oncology which was mandatory for medical, nursing, social work, and chaplaincy students. Quantitative evaluation indicated that students made significant improvements related to palliative care knowledge and skills and readiness for interprofessional education. Qualitative feedback revealed that students appreciated the experiential aspects of the curriculum most, especially the opportunity to observe palliative teams at work and practice team-based skills with other learners. While there exist many obstacles to interprofessional education and hands-on learning, the value of such experiences to the learners justifies efforts to initiate and continue similar programs in the health sciences.

Improving medical graduates’ training in palliative care: advancing education and practice

The needs of an aging population and advancements in the treatment of both chronic and life-threatening diseases have resulted in increased demand for quality palliative care. The doctors of the future will need to be well prepared to provide expert symptom management and address the holistic needs (physical, psychosocial, and spiritual) of patients dealing with serious illness and the end of life. Such preparation begins with general medical education. It has been recommended that teaching and clinical experiences in palliative care be integrated throughout the medical school curriculum, yet such education has not become the norm in medical schools across the world. This article explores the current status of undergraduate medical education in palliative care as published in the English literature and makes recommendations for educational improvements which will prepare doctors to address the needs of seriously ill and dying patients.

Erratum to: Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Curriculum Teaching Team-Based Care Integration in Oncology

1 Division of General Internal Medicine, Medical Education and Palliative Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA 2 University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work, Louisville, KY 40292, USA 3 University of the Free State, Bloemfontain, South Africa 4 University of Louisville School of Nursing, Louisville, KY 40292, USA 5 University Hospital, Louisville, KY 40202, USA 6 Office of UndergraduateMedical Education, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA 7 MedCenter One, Suite 330B 501 East Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202, USA J Canc Educ (2016) 31:181 DOI 10.1007/s13187-015-0971-4

“I Will Never Forget”: What We Learned from Medical Student Reflections On a Palliative Care Experience (725)

Abstract Purpose: To use reflective writing to evaluate a new required palliative care experience for third year medical students. Method: The authors used a constant comparison method based on grounded theory to conduct a thematic analysis of reflective writings produced by third-year medical students completing a mandatory week-long clinical rotation in palliative care during academic year 2010 at the University of Louisville. Results: Two broad thematic categories were identified: what the students learned and what the students experienced. Student writings revealed learning about palliative care (pain management, family meetings, goals of care, patient-family centered care, timing of palliative care, and delivering bad news); being a doctor (knowledge, communication, presence, empathy, not giving false hope, and person-focused care); the patient (importance of family, the experience of dying, and the uniqueness of each patient); and themselves (need to be non-judgmental, ability to do palliative care,...

Fellowship Directors’ Program—What Keeps us Awake at Night: Addressing the Challenges of Palliative Medicine Fellowship Programs as the Next Accreditation System and the Match Become Reality (P04)

Ignite your leadership potential. Financial DecisionMaking Approaches is designed to equip hospice and palliative medicine physicians with foundational principles in financial management to increase their understanding of institutional or organizational financial reports. This course will provide an introduction to financial concepts and terminology followed by an exploration of cost analysis and resource allocation using sample financial tools and documents, case studies, and scenarios to provide practical relevance for HPM physicians. This preconference program is offered in partnership with the American Association for Physician Leadership (Association) and presented by Association faculty. This session applies to all physician leaders and practice settings looking to enhance their financial management understanding and decision-making for their organization. Primary leadership competencies addressed in this program include financial acumen and resource management. AAHPM Ignite is one of three sessions included in the AAHPM Leadership Forum. AAHPM and the American Association for Physician Leadership have designed a comprehensive leadership training program that offers a variety of learning opportunities and varied environments, including face-to-face didactic instruction and Web-based self-study. You can create your own customized and flexible learning pathway and select content based on your unique leadership development goals and career pathway. Learn more at aahpm.org/career/leadership.

A Case of Inappropriate Apolipoprotein E Testing in Alzheimer’s Disease Due to Lack of an Informed Consent Discussion:

Background/Objective: Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genetic testing is used to assist in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Whenever genetic testing is performed, an informed consent process should occur. Methods: In this case, a patient with memory loss presented to the neurologist. The neurologist ordered a lumbar puncture (LP). The LP was performed by a neuroradiologist who also ordered APOE genetic testing. The patient received no genetic counseling, nor was an informed consent document offered. Results: After the testing was completed, the neurologist faced an ethical dilemma. His solution was to offer the genetic testing to the patient in order to have an informed consent process. It was clear that the patient and her adult children did not want the genetic testing and that they would have been burdened with the results. The neurologist opted not to disclose the results. Conclusion: Genetic counseling and a signed informed consent document are required prior to any genetic testing. In this case, neither occurred and it led to an ethical dilemma that was ultimately resolved by the neurologist. As the population ages and AD becomes more prevalent, there is a need to expand the workforce of genetic counselors and educate physicians who commonly treat AD about genetic testing.