The impact of online death literacy education on psychology students to have better end-of-life conversations

Objective: The role of psychologists is relatively invisible at end-of-life (EOL) and lack of training has been cited as one important reason for this. Contrasting the medicalisation of death, a new term Death Literacy references communities regaining knowledge and familiarity with the dying process. The aim of this study is to assess the impact on postgraduate students participating in a voluntary Online Death Literacy Education Module (ODELM). Methods: Using a mixed methods, quasi-experimental, repeated measure design, the current research paper measures the self-reported Death Literacy of 86 post-graduate psychology students. Results: The results found that psychology students' overall Death Literacy increased significantly, in addition, to the specific dimensions of knowledge and comfort in having EOL conversations. Further, exposure to Death Literacy training significantly increased participants' interest in EOL concerns and enhanced their perceptions of its relevance to the role of psychologists. Qualitative findings support a high level of engagement and interest in this sensitive and emotionally challenging topic for students, particularly in having EOL conversations with children. Discussion: This study shows that online delivery is an effective way to deliver Death Literacy content, particularly for fifth-year psychology students, who benefited most from gaining professional development hours towards provisional psychologist registration. Case studies and videos stimulated reflections on both the personal and professional dimensions of EOL supporting increased Death Literacy of participants. Conclusion: The strong interest and positive engagement in EOL expressed by emerging psychologists augurs well for their increased involvement in EOL care across the lifespan

Complex conversations in a healthcare setting: experiences from an interprofessional workshop on clinician-patient communication skills

Abstract Background Communication is pivotal to the effective care and treatment of patients in our health care systems. Despite this understanding, clinicians are not sufficiently educated to confidently conduct complex discussions with patients. Communication skills workshops have been shown to be an effective educational format to improve clinician skills. However, despite the increasing interprofessional focus within modern medicine, there have been few studies looking at interprofessional communication workshops. Methods A qualitative study was conducted to assess how an interprofessional communication skills workshop affected the communication skills of clinicians at a tertiary health service. Pre- and post-workshop surveys were undertaken by participants, followed by focus group interviews eight-weeks post workshop. Results Clinicians were able to incorporate learnt communication skills into their daily practice. This was associated with an improvement in confidence of clinicians in having complex discussions, in addition to a reduction in the burden of having complex discussions. Participants responded positively to the interdisciplinary format, reporting benefits from the learning experience that translated into daily practice. Conclusion Clinicians’ communication skills in conducting complex clinician-patient conversations can be improved by participation in interprofessional communication skills workshops. We identified that the interprofessional aspect of the workshops not only improved interprofessional understanding and relationships, but also developed increased self-awareness during complex discussions, and reduced the sense of burden felt by clinicians

Family Carers’ Experiences of Goals of Care Conversations in Acute Hospital Settings

End-of-life Goals of Care (GoC) discussions aim to support care that is consistent with patients’ preferences and values. This study uses an exploratory qualitative design drawing upon a social constructivist epistemology to examine family carers’ perspectives on GoC within acute Australian hospital settings. Twenty-five family carers of aging inpatients were recruited from six Australian hospitals to participate in recorded, semi-structured interviews. Data were transcribed and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three main themes were developed. Theme 1 explored carers’ experiences of GoC discussions—identifying varying levels of preparedness and carers\u27 hopes for open, two-way discussions initiated by empathic Health Care Professionals (HCPs). Theme 2 examined carers’ unmet needs for time, space, consistency, and support to make careful decisions. Theme 3 identified carers advocating for patients\u27 needs when they could not do it themselves. Preparing carers and normalizing GoC discussions relating to end-of-life care maximizes benefits for patients, carers, and HCPs involved

Supplemental Material - Family Carers’ Experiences of Goals of Care Conversations in Acute Hospital Settings

Supplemental Material for Family Carers’ Experiences of Goals of Care Conversations in Acute Hospital Settings by Kitty Vivekananda, Jayamini S. Jayawardene, Moira O’Connor, Kaaren J. Watts, Anton D. Leonard, Sharon Keesing, Georgia Halkett, Josephine Shaw, Valerie Colgan, Kevin Yuen, Renate Jolly, Simon C. Towler, and Anupam in Journal of Applied Gerontology</p