Eileen R O'Shea1, Suzanne Hetzel Campbell2, Arthur J Engler3, Rachel Beauregard4, Elizabeth C Chamberlin5, Leanne M Currie6. 1. Fairfield University, School of Nursing, 1073 North Benson RD, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA. Electronic address: eoshea@fairfield.edu. 2. University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada. Electronic address: Suzanne.Campbell@nursing.ubc.ca. 3. University of Connecticut School of Nursing, 231 Glenbrook Rd., Unit 2026, Storrs, CT 06269-2026 USA. Electronic address: arthur.engler@uconn.edu. 4. Fairfield University, School of Nursing, 1073 North Benson RD, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA. Electronic address: rachel.beauregard@ynhh.org. 5. University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada. Electronic address: Elizabeth.Chamberlin@ubc.ca. 6. University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada. Electronic address: leanne.currie@nursing.ubc.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Educational practices and national guidelines for best practices of providing palliative care to children and their families have been developed and are gaining support; however, the dissemination of those practices lags behind expectations. Incorporating education for pediatric palliative care into nursing pre-licensure programs will provide guidelines for best practices with opportunities to enact them prior to graduation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an integrated curriculum for palliative care on nursing students' knowledge. DESIGN: Matched pretest-posttest. SETTING: One private and one public university in the northeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: Two groups of baccalaureate nursing students, one exposed to an integrated curriculum for palliative care and one without the same exposure. METHODS: Pre-testing of the students with a 50-item multiple choice instrument prior to curriculum integration and post-testing with the same instrument at the end of the term. RESULTS: This analysis demonstrated changes in knowledge scores among the experimental (n=40) and control (n=19) groups that were statistically significant by time (Wilks' Lambda=.90, F(1, 57)=6.70, p=.012) and study group (Wilks' Lambda=.83, F(1, 57)=11.79, p=.001). CONCLUSIONS: An integrated curriculum for pediatric and perinatal palliative and end-of-life care can demonstrate an increased knowledge in a small convenience sample of pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students when compared to a control group not exposed to the same curriculum. Future research can examine the effect on graduates' satisfaction with program preparation for this specialty area; the role of the use of the curriculum with practice-partners to strengthen transfer of knowledge to the clinical environment; and the use of this curriculum interprofessionally.
BACKGROUND: Educational practices and national guidelines for best practices of providing palliative care to children and their families have been developed and are gaining support; however, the dissemination of those practices lags behind expectations. Incorporating education for pediatric palliative care into nursing pre-licensure programs will provide guidelines for best practices with opportunities to enact them prior to graduation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an integrated curriculum for palliative care on nursing students' knowledge. DESIGN: Matched pretest-posttest. SETTING: One private and one public university in the northeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: Two groups of baccalaureate nursing students, one exposed to an integrated curriculum for palliative care and one without the same exposure. METHODS: Pre-testing of the students with a 50-item multiple choice instrument prior to curriculum integration and post-testing with the same instrument at the end of the term. RESULTS: This analysis demonstrated changes in knowledge scores among the experimental (n=40) and control (n=19) groups that were statistically significant by time (Wilks' Lambda=.90, F(1, 57)=6.70, p=.012) and study group (Wilks' Lambda=.83, F(1, 57)=11.79, p=.001). CONCLUSIONS: An integrated curriculum for pediatric and perinatal palliative and end-of-life care can demonstrate an increased knowledge in a small convenience sample of pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students when compared to a control group not exposed to the same curriculum. Future research can examine the effect on graduates' satisfaction with program preparation for this specialty area; the role of the use of the curriculum with practice-partners to strengthen transfer of knowledge to the clinical environment; and the use of this curriculum interprofessionally.
Authors: Kan Yin Wong; Wai Tak Victor Li; Pui Yu Yiu; Tsz Kiu Tong; On Hang Ching; Lok Yin Leung; Tsz Yau Cheung; Sze Chai Chan; Hoi Ying Law; Cheuk Hei Cheng Journal: Med Sci Educ Date: 2020-02-03
Authors: Elizabeth G Broden; Allison Werner-Lin; Martha A Q Curley; Pamela S Hinds Journal: Intensive Crit Care Nurs Date: 2022-02-24 Impact factor: 4.235