Development of a Primary Palliative Nursing Care Competence Model and Assessment Tool: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

AIM The purpose of this study was to develop a new primary palliative nursing care (PPNC) competence model and assessment tool. BACKGROUND Consensus guidelines, a national position statement, and new nursing program accreditation standards require nurses to be educated in providing PPNC. A means to assess PPNC competence for prelicensure nursing students and entry-level nurses is needed. METHOD The mixed-methods study utilized a three-phase design encompassing in-depth document analysis and expert workgroups; focus groups with palliative care educators, practitioners, and administrators; and stakeholder focus groups. RESULTS Findings across all phases resulted in development of a PPNC competence model and assessment tool, each composed of nine domains and associated competency statements. CONCLUSION There is a global imperative for nurses to provide high-quality PPNC. Both the model and assessment tool are vital to develop a nursing workforce with the skills to care for persons with serious illness and their families.

Core Palliative Care Competencies for Undergraduate Nursing Education: International Multisite Research Using Online Nominal Group Technique

“…2,3 To ensure both quality palliative care and the ability to work with community resources, nurses need to be provided with different levels of education and develop appropriate palliative care competencies. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Over the past decade, there have been increasing attempts in different countries to include palliative care in nursing curricula through the development of competency frameworks and models [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Nevertheless, there is still a wide variation in palliative care education between and within European countries, when 56% of the countries from which data was achieved, reported that palliative care is not a mandatory subject in nursing education. 17 In addition, nursing students have reported a lack of competence 18,19 and insufficient knowledge about palliative care.…”