Widespread Education Effort in End-of-life Care Reaches One in Three Nursing Schools in the United States; Major Outreach to Cancer Center Clinical Staff Set to Launch in June
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BW HealthWire via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--May 20, 2002--Encouraging news in the national push to improve end-of-life care for cancer patients will be reported in a special session today at the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) annual meeting by several of the world`s foremost authorities on palliative care.
In a major effort to educate nurses based on recommendations by the National Cancer Policy Board (NCPB), Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC), cancer centers and nursing schools across the nation are receiving the training necessary to meet the challenge of improving quality of life for the dying.
''The need to improve palliative care, including end-of-life care, has been regularly and rightly publicized since the late 1990s and became more focused after the IOM report,'' says Betty R. Ferrell, R.N., Ph.D., professor of Nursing Research & Education at City of Hope Cancer Center and a reviewer of the report. ''Now it is time to examine how we are responding to the challenge at the cancer center level through our aggressive educational programs.''
In collaboration with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), with funding provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Dr. Ferrell and City of Hope investigators established the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) in 2000 to provide a comprehensive national effort to improve nursing care at the end of life. Before ELNEC, there had not been a unified effort to prepare nurses in this area.
Thus far, nearly 1000 educators, representing one of every three nursing schools in the nation have been educated in nine core curriculum areas: nursing care at the end of life; pain management; symptom management; ethical/legal issues; cultural considerations; communication; grief, loss and bereavement; preparation and care for the time of death; and achieving quality care at the end of life. Future courses are being designed to reach even more nursing schools.
''This is the most far-reaching educational program for nurses in end-of-life care that has been launched to date at the national level,'' says Hellen Gelband, IOM study director and co-editor of Improving Palliative Care for Cancer (National Academy Press, 2001). ''This is a major step toward improving care for the dying.''
In June 2002, the Nursing Research & Education department at City of Hope will also launch a series of groundbreaking training courses for interdisciplinary teams from the nation`s top cancer centers, to further educate physicians, nurses, social workers and others in end-of-life care. Funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Disseminating End-of-Life Education to Cancer Centers (DELEtCC) is designed to prepare clinical leaders with the information and resources necessary to assure high-quality end-of-life care for cancer patients.
''The goal of DELEtCC is to make an impact at 300 cancer centers during four national conferences to be held over the next four years.'' says Marcia Grant, R.N., D.N.Sc. ''We have already secured the participation of most of the leading centers and are well on our way to making this a success.''
A National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, City of Hope is one of the world`s leading research and treatment centers for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. City of Hope`s Department of Nursing Research & Education employs recognized leaders in palliative care, end-of-life care, and pain management. For more information, visit www.cityofhope.org. City of Hope ... where the power of knowledge saves lives.
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