Evaluating the impact of national education in pediatric palliative care: the Quality of Care Collaborative Australia

Abstract

PurposeThe Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA) provided pediatric palliative care education across Australia with the aim of improving the quality of services. The education was delivered through a collaboration of six tertiary pediatric palliative care services, through funding for Nurse Educators, Medical Fellows, a National Allied Health Educator, and national project staff.MethodsPre- and post-education surveys were completed by participants immediately following the education, and confidence and knowledge were measured along nine domains related to the care of the child and family, including managing a new referral, symptom management, medications, preparing the family, and using local agencies.ResultsEducation was provided to over 5,500 health and human service professionals in 337 education sessions across Australia between May 2015 and June 2017. Paired pre- and post-surveys were completed by 969 participants and showed a significant improvement in all the domains measured. Those with no experience in caring for children receiving palliative care showed greater improvement following QuoCCA education compared to those with experience, although the latter had higher scores both before and after education. Similarly, those with no previous education showed greater improvement, but those with previous education showed higher scores overall. Participants in full-day and half-day sessions showed greater improvement than those in short day sessions. Thus, the dosage of education in the length of the sessions and prior attendance impacted knowledge and confidence. Topics requested by the participants were analyzed. Educator learnings were that education was more effective when tailored to the needs of the audience, was interactive, and included story-telling, case studies, and parent experiences.ConclusionThese results encouraged the continuation of the provision of education to novice and experienced professionals who care for children with a life-limiting condition, leading to higher levels of confidence and knowledge. The learnings from this evaluation will be transferred into the second round of funding for the national QuoCCA education project. The next stage will focus on developing simulation and interactive training, accessible training modules, and videos on a national website.

Ongoing Value and Practice Improvement Outcomes from Pediatric Palliative Care Education: The Quality of Care Collaborative Australia

“…1 The top learning needs were used to develop the QuoCCA continuous practice development curriculum, and ongoing evaluation and refinement achieved national harmonization of the curriculum. 2 For the first three-year round of funding, 337 education sessions were completed around Australia by QuoCCA funded educators based in tertiary PPC services in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth; involving 767 hours of education and 5773 participants. Regional and remote locations received 40% of the QuoCCA education sessions.…”

<p>Perspectives Of Health Professionals And Educators On The Outcomes Of A National Education Project In Pediatric Palliative Care: The Quality Of Care Collaborative Australia</p>

“…The core aims of QuoCCA were to improve the capability of national HPs, improve access to and quality of PPC, and increase community awareness of death and dying in the pediatric population. 13 We believe QuoCCA has enabled transformative learning and enabled social action in the context of PPC through these innovative teaching and learning methods.…”

“…The QuoCCA project enabled funding of dedicated medical, nursing, and allied health educators who improved the knowledge and capability of HPs providing PPC throughout Australia. 13 Although the QuoCCA program was set up to increase capability through an education framework, the study revealed other positive outcomes that supported staff: the development of partnerships between services, mentoring of staff by specialist services, sustaining staff well-being, and learning from children and families. Traditional education programs worldwide are incorporating models of individual and team mentorship as a way of increasing workforce capability and resilience.…”

“…The pop-up model of education has become a critical feature of QuoCCA. 3,13 Participants described being able to transgress traditional barriers to education by engaging face to face with formal and informal networks that directly care for a current patient with a LLC and their family. Mezirow and colleagues (1994) coined the term "transformative learning", a process whereby traditional mindsets and perspectives are challenged to become more inclusive, engage the learner in self-reflection and ultimately social change.…”

“…3,11,12 From May 2015 to July 2017, over 5770 health and human service professionals throughout Australia received education through the first funded QuoCCA project, with both novice and experienced PPC providers improving their knowledge and confidence. 13 This descriptive study adopted Discovery Interview methodology to explore the perspectives and experiences of QuoCCA educators and HPs working in SPPC services in Australia. The aim was to identify factors that enhance PPC workforce capability and education outcomes through the integration of dedicated educator roles within SPPC teams.…”