The iPANEL (Initiative for a Palliative Approach in Nursing: Evidence and Leadership) research team led a symposium on integrating a Palliative Approach in nursing education this week in Kelowna. I was honoured to be invited and thrilled to share airspace with some of my heroes in nursing practice, research and education.
Go to the iPANEL website, bookmark it, and check back to follow their learnings and highlights at https://www.ipanel.ca/
From their website: rationale for the research:
Three quarters of British Columbians who die, do so without being identified as people who could benefit from the services associated with palliative care.
2 Through research, we create new knowledge about how nurses can further integrate palliative philosophies and services into non-specialized settings that provide end-of-life care.
Specialized palliative units and hospices are essential for end of life care but not appropriate for all persons facing life-limiting chronic conditions. By offering a palliative approach in multiple settings, we can better care for people and their families through the many transitions of chronic conditions like dementia, lung, kidney and heart diseases, and cancer. (Retrieved from www.iPANEL.ca May 4th 2012)
The iPANEL team is full of talent and love their work. Wonderful to witness them in motion!
Topics addressed during the day included:
- The Case for iPANEL
- Survey of Nurse and health care workers… their self perceived palliative care nursing competency scale (Della Roberts and Dr Rick Sawatzky presented preliminary results)
- Curricular competencies and scopes of practice
- Scoping review of best evidence for preparing nurses in a palliative approach
- Innovative curricular and clinical education models (Susan Ross from TRU presented the course on Death and Dying that she is teaching this month at TRU)
- Providing a Palliative Approach in Rural Areas (Dr Barb Pesut presented the preliminary research, followed by questions and feedback with our reflections)
- Discussion of barriers to care, with wonderful story from a family caregivers, Teresa Nutini, then discussion by Donna Mednel (Interior Health), Gail Potter and TAMMY McLead from Selkirk College)
- And I MISSED a presentation by the one and only Dr Gweneth Doane in the evening session on Preparing reflective and relational nurses for a palliative approach”
- Stay tuned to their website!
Esteem and gratitude to these researchers who are ALL about integrating research in practice, and all about collaborating with people working in practice to participate in research… and all about working with educators to make it all happen.
Kath
