Abstract
[white diamond suit] Palliative care has been identified by the Canadian province of Ontario's Ministry of Health as having fundamental developmental deficiencies. In response to these deficiencies, four initiatives were implemented in 1992: (1) education initiatives for interdisciplinary providers; (2) education initiatives for family physicians; (3) support and maintenance of hospice volunteer visiting programs; and (4) establishment of regional pain and symptom management teams. The first initiative, education for interdisciplinary providers, focused on educating providers in long-term care facilities/hospitals/home care programs. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the perceived benefits of this formal education in the region of Niagara. This article reports the results of a questionnaire survey with Niagara regional service providers (n = 112) who have received palliative care education through the first initiative. In addition, facility/hospital/home care administrators (n = 50) were surveyed to determine their assessment of the practitioner/volunteer education. The results found in this investigation show that palliative care education has had a significant impact on the palliative care service delivery in the Niagara region, and suggests continued funding for ongoing education.