Project on Death in America Grant Supports Education and Networking
HPNA has received a grant from the Project on Death in America, founded by the Open Society Institute, to combine Betty Ferrell's work with End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) courses and Cynda Rushton's work with the Community of Practice (a coalition of 44 nursing specialty organizations), with the aim of improving end-of-life care in America. Nine educational sessions designed by HPNA will be held during the next three years under the auspices of local HPNA chapters and long-term care providers.
Most residents of long-term care facilities have chronic and life-limiting illnesses requiring palliative and eventually hospice care. HPNA's goal is to not only provide education on end-of-life nursing care but also build local partnerships between long-term care nurses and the hospice nurses who care for these residents, as well as forging national connections for nurses to network and mentor each other.
The first of these sessions was held on Friday and Saturday, February 27-28, 2004, with the Fort Worth, TX, Chapter. Hospice and long-term care nurses met as partners in Arlington, TX, to learn about end-of-life nursing care and their respective roles. During the two-day session, HPNA members from the area who are approved ELNEC trainers served as faculty, and session participants became members of a "Community of Practice."
The ELNEC curriculum focused on nine different modules, including Nursing Care at the End of Life, Pain Management, Symptom Management, Ethical/Legal Issues, Cultural Considerations in End-of-Life Care, Communication, Grief, Loss, Bereavement, Achieving Quality Care at the End of Life, and Preparation and Care for the Time of Death. As members of the Community of Practice, these individuals can communicate with each other to network, share clinical practice issues, and learn from each other through a private domain on the HPNA Web site.
Feedback from the education session was positive. One participant felt that "the ability to interact in the future will grow new friendships and understanding of each other's difficulties and problems." Another stated it "opened new ways of thinking." One participant even stated: "Inviting long-term care facility staff members-it's about time somebody did this."
Eight more sessions are scheduled through 2006. Two sessions are scheduled for 2004: the HPNA Chapter of Metro New York and the Southwest Pennsylvania Chapter. For more information, contact Dena Jean Sutermaster at [email protected] or call the National Office at 412-787-9301.
Save the Date!!
Plan NOW to attend the Annual Assembly of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, January 19-23, 2005, in New Orleans, LA.
Watch the http://www.hpna.org Web site for the schedule of events.
National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care-Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care
HPNA is excited to announce that the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care (NCP) has completed its work on the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. The Guidelines are available electronically on the NCP Web site (http://www.nationalconsensus-project.org) as well as the HPNA website (http://www.hpna.org).
HPNA is one of five palliative care organizations that comprises the NCP consortium. Others include AAHPM, NHPCO, Last Acts Partnership, and CAPC. If you have any questions, please contact the National Office at 412-787-9301.