The Service of Palliative Care
Author
Hill, Heather Hardy
Abstract
Millions of people require palliative care (PC), but less than 15% receive PC services. The number of PC providers is increasing, but PC referrals occur too late during the disease. PC is holistic care for anyone suffering from a severe illness and can occur at any stage of the disease process. PC is often used interchangeably with hospice, leading to the misconception that PC care is only for end-of-life patients. PC increases quality of life, provides effective symptom relief, decreases hospital visits and readmissions, and reduces hospital mortality rates.
This DNP project took place at a teaching hospital in North Carolina with over 900 beds. The project site has a palliative consult team and a palliative care unit. The DNP project aimed to educate the project site providers about PC services. A PowerPoint educational presentation and a one-page educational handout were created for the providers, including information about PC, hospice, the palliative consult team, and the palliative care unit at the project site. The PC education was emailed to 231 providers at the project site. An evaluation survey was created to determine the effectiveness of the PC education.
Based on the survey results, the Service of Palliative Care educational presentation effectively improved the participants’ knowledge. PC education can impact providers, patients, nurses, and the entire healthcare system. Patients receiving PC services become active participants in their healthcare. Nurses with an increased understanding of PC services have personal healthcare literacy and provide higher-quality patient care. PC has many cost-saving benefits related to readmissions, operating costs, and emergency department visits.
Date
2023-07-15
Citation:
APA:
Hill, Heather Hardy.
(July 2023).
The Service of Palliative Care
(DNP Scholarly Project, East Carolina University). Retrieved from the Scholarship.
(http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13021.)
MLA:
Hill, Heather Hardy.
The Service of Palliative Care.
DNP Scholarly Project. East Carolina University,
July 2023. The Scholarship.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13021.
June 03, 2024.
Chicago:
Hill, Heather Hardy,
“The Service of Palliative Care”
(DNP Scholarly Project., East Carolina University,
July 2023).
AMA:
Hill, Heather Hardy.
The Service of Palliative Care
[DNP Scholarly Project]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University;
July 2023.
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