Hospice and Palliative Care for Healthcare Professionals

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About the Course:
This course provides an overview of hospice and palliative care and describes care that meets the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of suffering of patients and families. The goal of this course is to provide nurses and other clinicians information on how to care for their dying patients. The course will review theoretical models of the dying process, the psychological and physical symptoms as death approaches, and postmortem care. Lastly, misconceptions and barriers to providing end-of-life care are reviewed.

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, the learner will be able to do the following:

• Describe the purpose of both hospice and palliative care and how they address life-limiting illness for the patient and family.
• Define and explain the relationship between hospice and palliative care and how they contribute to the improvement of quality of life of patients with life-limiting illness.
• Describe the settings, patient population, and incidence of hospice care delivery in the United States.
• Identify the different levels of hospice care, services provided, and Medicare (CMS) eligibility requirements.
• Discuss the Medicare Hospice Benefit and performance measures required for hospice programs.
• Discuss different types of population-based palliative care.
• Explain the delivery of hospice and palliative care including the support required for patients and families with life-limiting illness.
• Explain post-mortem care and strategies for healthcare teams following the death of a patient.
• Identify misconceptions and barriers to providing hospice and palliative care.
• Discuss professional and educational resources clinicians can provide to support patients and families coping with life-limiting illness as well as healthcare professionals caring for them.

About the Author:
Jennifer Shepherd, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CHPN, CCRN-K, is a Registered Nurse leader with substantial experience across diverse healthcare settings. She has served as a member of clinical leadership for various provider facilities in roles dedicated to professional development and analytics. She previously served as Director of Clinical Education for Capital Caring Health, one of the nation’s oldest hospice and palliative care organizations. She is adjunct faculty for George Mason University in the Department of Nursing and currently serves as Director, Nurse Content Development and Continuing Education, for the American Nurses Association.

She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in nursing professional development; as a nurse executive, advanced, in hospice and palliative care by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA); and in pediatric critical care by the American Association of Critical Care Nursing (AACN). Her DNP capstone work, COVID-19 and Hospice Care: Self Care and the Effect on Compassion Fatigue and Patient Outcomes, focused on the link and challenges between compassion fatigue, self-care, and quality outcomes among hospice clinicians during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

How to Receive Credit:

• Read the entire course online or in print which requires a 5-hour commitment of time.
• Complete the Self-Assessment Quiz Questions either integrated throughout or all at the end of the course.
  • These questions are NOT GRADED. The questions are included to help affirm what you have learned from the course.
  • The correct answer is shown after the question is answered. If the incorrect answer is selected, a Rationale for the correct answer is provided.
• At the end of the course, answer the Yes/No Affirmation question to indicate that you have completed the educational activity.
• Specific to Florida: A mandatory Final Examination with a passing score of 70% or higher is required. Exam questions link content to the course Learning Objectives as a method to enhance individualized learning and material retention.
• If requested, provide required personal and payment information.
• Complete the mandatory Nursing Course Evaluation.
• Print your Certificate of Completion.

Disclosures:

Resolution of Conflict of Interest
In accordance with the ANCC Standards for Commercial Support for continuing education, Colibri Healthcare, LLC implemented mechanisms prior to the planning and implementation of the continuing education activity, to identify and resolve conflicts of interest for all individuals in a position to control content of the course activity.

Sponsorship/Commercial Support and Non-Endorsement
It is the policy of Colibri Healthcare, LLC not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Disclaimer
The information provided in this activity is for continuing education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a healthcare provider relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient’s medical condition ©2021: All Rights Reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without the expressed written permission or consent of Colibri Healthcare, LLC. The materials presented in this course are meant to provide the consumer with general information on the topics covered. The information provided was prepared by professionals with practical knowledge of the areas covered. It is not meant to provide medical, legal, or professional advice. Colibri Healthcare, LLC recommends that you consult a medical, legal, or professional services expert licensed in your state. Colibri Healthcare, LLC has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that all content provided in this course is accurate and up-to-date at the time of printing but does not represent or warrant that it will apply to your situation nor circumstances and assumes no liability from reliance on these materials. Quotes are collected from customer feedback surveys. The models are intended to be representative and not actual customers.

Course Verification
All individuals involved have disclosed that they have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to this course. Likewise, and in compliance with California Assembly Bill No. 241, every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the content in this course is balanced and unbiased.