Year
2021
Units
4.5
Contact
3 x 1-hour tutorials per semester
1 x 9-hour independent study weekly
1 x 1-hour on-line exercises weekly
Prerequisites
1 Admission into GCPC-Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care
1a Admission into GDPPC-Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care
1b Admission into MPC-Master of Palliative Care
1c Admission into MPCAC-Master of Palliative Care in Aged Care
2 PALL8432 - Introduction to the Study of Palliative Care
Must Satisfy: ((1 or 1a or 1b or 1c) and 2)
Assumed knowledge
Familiarity in the use of literature and accessing relevant databases including OVID Medline, CINAHL, PubMed and any others appropriate to the area of study.
Assessment
Assignment(s); Tutorial participation.
Topic description

End-of Life Care is provided in Australian hospitals more commonly than in the community, and as such, professionals who work in these acute settings will encounter patients nearing the end of life. This topic will focus on current fields of knowledge, National Policy and essential skills which are clinically relevant for all clinicians who work in acute care settings such as:

  • Death and dying: epidemiology and the issues of end of life care and dying in acute hospitals and services
  • How to recognise a patient approaching the end of life
  • How to communicate end of life issues with patients, families and other professionals
  • How to respond to concern of families and when care is not progressing well
  • How to deal with conflict within and beyond the health care team
Educational aims

This topic aims to:

  • Explain and describe how people die in acute settings
  • Examine the strengths, opportunities and limitations of common frameworks and tools that recognise end of life
  • Identify one's own learning gap in end of life care communication
  • Assess the relevance of goals of care in multidisciplinary end of life care
  • Identify the strengths and limitations of management of emotionally charged and challenging interactions
  • Identify and assess suffering and locate response frameworks relevant to particular workplace settings and disciplines
Expected learning outcomes
On completion of this topic you will be expected to be able to:

  1. Describe the current trends and patterns to dying, relevant to their workplace setting
  2. Understand when and how to use frameworks and tools to recognise end of life
  3. Recognise their own communication capabilities in end of life care, how to improve these and acquire knowledge regarding when to consult with other health care professionals
  4. Analyse and modify models of multidisciplinary end of life goals of care relevant to their own practice setting
  5. Recognise common emotionally charged and challenging situations and list several relevant responses
  6. Appreciate the various kinds of suffering at the end of life and justify appropriate professional responses