Individuals and family members faced with a serious health prognosis quickly find themselves in a complex world of appointments, medications, specialty care referrals and courses of treatment; often feeling overwhelmed, anxious and inept.
This was the scenario for Charlene Berke; she was working to coordinate care for her husband from a distance as COVID-19 prevented her from being at his bedside. He was very ill and his care team included a nephrologist, pulmonologist and an entire team of care professionals. It was a lot to coordinate and physically and emotionally taxing. Thankfully, a palliative care team helped pull it all together and coordinated information for Charlene and her family. “The palliative care team was a big positive in our life during that difficult time,” shared Berke.
Berke continued, “A knowledge gap exists in understanding palliative care. If it often misunderstood for hospice care. Fortunately, we are able to dispel misinformation, increase awareness and relay the benefits of palliative care in South Dakota through a three-year U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Network Development Grant.”
The grant will support efforts by the South Dakota Palliative Care Network to increase awareness and knowledge of palliative care across the region. Charlene Berke serves as a co-project director; along with Sarah Mollman. Both Mollman and Berke are passionate advocates and are using their personal experiences to help others. “This is really personal for me; it is definitely more than just my job,” added Berke.
The Network aims to educate future and current healthcare professionals to understand the interdisciplinary team approach to palliative care as well as making those services more widely available, particularly in smaller towns throughout the state where access gaps have been identified.
Education efforts extend into the classroom. Training is available for students in healthcare professions; including nursing programs in three universities (South Dakota State University, Mount Marty University and Presentation College). Currently 1,200 students have participated in the trainings; the intent is to expand the program more broadly in the remainder of the grant cycle.
Trainings are designed to be easily incorporated into the course work; case studies are offered to assist the instructor in discussion. Mollman added, “we are working to bridge the gap between the academic and the clinical worlds. We are hopeful we are better equipping those entering the healthcare workforce to have a foundation of knowledge and the tools to implement and utilize palliative care services.”
A Palliative Care Education Series has been developed; a diverse group of healthcare experts present the content. The series covers broad aspects of the eight palliative care domains that can be applied to any practice setting to better support persons living with serious illness and their families; including resources to improve conversations with patients who have a serious illness.
Continuing education credit is offered. The Training Series is available on the CE Portal and includes the following:
- Introduction to Palliative Care
- Basic Ethical Principles
- Physical Aspects of Palliative Care
- Advanced Care Planning
- Social Aspects of Palliative Care, and
- Goals of Care Conversations
**Additional trainings will be added. Access Instructions to create an account.
One student commented, “This information was taught in nursing school, but I never fully understood the relevance of it until I was able to utilize it.” Another provider shared, “I have a strong preference for managing some elements of my patients’ primary care without specialty consultant. I now have a clearer view of how far to go and when I need to ask for assistance.”
To round out the continuing education efforts, Palliative Care Symposium will take place in November 2022. The Network will also offer palliative care education and training in 16 communities across the state.
The South Dakota Palliative Care Network includes 30 organizations and is partnering with other organizations and grant-funded opportunities throughout the state. The Network has brought together two other grant-funded opportunities to collaborate, synergizing efforts related to palliative care education. As a result, the three grants will use the following South Dakota definition of palliative care to ensure consistent messaging.
Palliative care is medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of illness with the goal to improve quality of life for both the patient and family. Effective palliative care is delivered by a trained team of doctors, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, chaplains and other health professionals who collaborate to provide an extra layer of support. Based on the needs of the patient, not on prognosis, palliative care is appropriate at any age and any stage of serious illness and may be provided alongside curative treatments in primary and specialty settings.
Through the Bush grant, a University of South Dakota Palliative Care ECHO Project is underway as well as implementation of a ROI NIH grant to advance palliative care in the Northern Plains American Indian population.
Mollman concluded, “It is great to see the good things taking place at both the community and academic level. There is so much good work to be done and I feel fortunate to be part of it.”