"Palliative care: The essentials": Evaluation of a multidisciplinary education program

Abstract

Background: Despite the world-wide growth of specialist palliative care services, the bulk of care and decision making at the end of life are delivered in general hospital, primary care, and aged care settings. Health workers of all disciplines therefore need to develop attitudes, knowledge, and skills required to deliver palliative care. Aim: To develop, deliver, and evaluate a short multidisciplinary education program focusing on the core elements of palliative care. Method: A 2-day program was developed by an expert panel comprising academics, policy makers, clinicians, and a caregiver representative. Evaluation consisted of a pretest/posttest questionnaire aimed at identifying participan..