Palliative and end-of-life care requires an interprofessional approach as multiple healthcare professionals are needed to collaborate for the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual care of the patient. This presentation highlights how an academic institution leveraged a community partnership to develop a meaningful palliative and end-of-life care interprofessional simulation session, with expert-led discussion and treatment planning. This session aimed to improve self-efficacy in providing end-of-life care and promoting interprofessional collaboration for nursing, pharmacy, and chaplaincy students. Two tools were utilized for data collection, the Palliative Care Self-Efficacy Scale (PCSES) and the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale-Revised (ICCAS-R).
This presentation is aligned with the summit theme of “Advancing Interprofessional Care through Practice-Education Partnerships” by emphasizing collaboration with community experts in the design, care plan, and debriefing phases of the simulation. Local palliative and hospice physicians, nurses, and a chaplain actively engaged with students in small group discussions on the proper treatment plan for their simulated patient interaction and discussed from each of their professional lens, the various implications when caring for this population. They provided real-world experience to make the simulation a realistic and impactful experience.
This presentation highlights that involving community partners, such as practicing physicians, nurses, and chaplains, further enhances learning outcomes and interprofessional communication. Integrating real-world experts into simulations enriches the educational experience by bringing theory and practice together.
This presentation meets the priority criteria of meaningful engagement of community partners. While most simulations rely on faculty facilitators, this session was distinguished by the active involvement of practicing palliative and hospice care providers. Virtual meetings were held with community partners to develop the scenario and make changes as appropriate to ensure realism. On the simulation day our community partners gave a presentation, discussed their roles and responsibilities on the care team, led small group discussions, and ensured students knew how to react to real-world concerns for patients in palliative and end-of-life care.
