Integrating Palliative Care into Nursing Care

Abstract

The need for palliative care in our health care system has exponentially increased in the past few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aging population, and the increasing number of people living with serious illnesses. While nurses play a critical role in delivering palliative care, many lack confidence and knowledge, causing practice gaps in the clinical and psychological management of seriously ill patients. The collective burden of the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of palliative care education and training, specifically in communication, symptom management, and continuing education. All nurses, including nursing students, transitioning nurses, and practicing nurses, should be trained to offer generalist (or primary) palliative care, in accordance with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. Provision of holistic, relationship-based, and integrated palliative care for patients and their families is an ethical obligation for all nurses.

Professional Standards and the Role of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Hospice and Palliative Care

“…In April 2021, the most recently updated AACN Essentials named the following 4 spheres of care as an important component of entry-level nursing education curricula: promotion of health and well-being/disease prevention, chronic disease care, regenerative or restorative care, and hospice/palliative/supportive care 28 . Thus, with the publication of the latest Essentials in 2021, nursing programs are now compelled to include palliative care content for all entry-level students, which was previously scarcely included in curricula, if at all 29 . As a result, all entry-level nursing professionals are ethically obligated to complete their studies having some knowledge of how to provide primary palliative care 29 .…”

“…Thus, with the publication of the latest Essentials in 2021, nursing programs are now compelled to include palliative care content for all entry-level students, which was previously scarcely included in curricula, if at all 29 . As a result, all entry-level nursing professionals are ethically obligated to complete their studies having some knowledge of how to provide primary palliative care 29 . AACN has collaborated with the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium 30 over the past 23 years to create nursing education resources in palliative care.…”

“…29 As a result, all entry-level nursing professionals are ethically obligated to complete their studies having some knowledge of how to provide primary palliative care. 29 AACN has collaborated with the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium 30 over the past 23 years to create nursing education resources in palliative care. This includes a document, Graduate Competencies and Recommendations for Educating Nursing Students.…”

HPNA Value Statement

“…Palliative and hospice nurses play an instrumental role in mentoring and educating fellow nurses and interprofessional colleagues in primary palliative care. As such, the inclusion of palliative care education in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs is now outlined in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials: Core Competencies of Professional Nursing Education 6,9 . The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium, in association with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, has integrated palliative care education into hundreds of undergraduate and graduate nursing programs across the United States to meet the increasing palliative needs of the populations that nurses serve 8 …”

“…As such, the inclusion of palliative care education in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs is now outlined in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials: Core Competencies of Professional Nursing Education. 6,9 The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium, in association with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, has integrated palliative care education into hundreds of undergraduate and graduate nursing programs across the United States to meet the increasing palliative needs of the populations that nurses serve. 8 The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association's Scope and Standards of Palliative Nursing 10 and Scope and Standards of the Licensed Practical Vocational Nurse 11 outline the standards of practice for palliative nurses.…”