This course starts you on your journey of integrating primary palliative care into your daily lives. You will learn what palliative care is, how to communicate with patients, show empathy, and practice difficult conversations. You will learn how to screen for distress and provide psychosocial support. You will learn about goals of care and advance care planning and how to improve your success with having these conversations with patients. Finally, you will explore important cultural considerations and improve your cultural competency on the topics covered.
Essentials of Palliative Care
Essentials of Palliative Care
This course is part of Palliative Care Always Specialization
Instructors: Kavitha Ramchandran
5,298 already enrolled
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7
(78 reviews)
Beginner level
Recommended experience
Flexible schedule
Approx. 10 hours
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course
What you'll learn
Define the scope of palliative care and the roles of primary and specialist teams in comprehensive care for patients and families
Explain the components of an interdisciplinary patient treatment plan that includes physical, emotional, social and spiritual care
Discuss basic strategies for addressing psychosocial and relationship concerns in the context of serious illness
Engage in goals of care and advance care planning discussions with patients and families
Details to know
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Assessments
23 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Palliative Care Always Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 7 modules in this course
Welcome! Palliative Care Always is about optimizing quality of life at any stage of disease. This course, Essentials of Palliative Care, is rooted in the belief that incorporating the principles of palliative care into clinical practice can improve the quality of life for our patients and their support systems (including clinicians!). A team of Stanford faculty and staff designed this course to educate you about palliative care. Together, you will learn how it intersects with treating serious illness, and how palliative care skills can help improve quality of life for patients, families and providers. Our hope is that you will feel increasingly equipped to support the diverse needs of patients with serious illness.
What's included
3 readings2 assignments
This module focuses on what palliative care is, the roles of the care team and the difference between primary and speciality palliative care.
What's included
8 videos6 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin
Discussing difficult news is always a challenge for a variety of reasons. In this module, we will cover methods you can use to make these conversations more successful. Communication is the foundation of patient and clinician relationships and a key component of palliative care. Effective communication can build trust and promote clarity in the face of difficult decisions. Still, communication--especially about prognosis and transitions in care--is a challenging aspect of patient care in which clinicians cite a lack of confidence and skill. This module covers basic skills in communicating with patients, families, and peers. You will hear about practical ways to incorporate communication skills into your daily practice and your daily life. These skills will help you tune in to the needs and desires of patients and families and form a partnership that promotes well-being.
What's included
3 videos7 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin
Most families living with cancer will experience some form of emotional, psychological or social distress. This may exist as episodes of grief or anxiety at specific points such as diagnosis or progression, or it may be a more chronic experience that has an ongoing impact on relationships and day-to-day life. Psychosocial distress itself affects quality of life while also exacerbating physical symptoms and influencing decisions regarding treatment. This module explores psychosocial distress and introduces you to skills for assessing and managing psychosocial distress. These skills will help you identify and begin to address the emotional and social needs of patients and families.
What's included
2 videos6 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin
Goals of cancer care are often associated with prolonging life or preparing for the end of life. However, goals of care conversations identify wishes and values that guide every medical decision and help patients and families live the best life possible at every phase of care. Goals of care discussions help patients and providers balance the evidence about disease and treatment with subjective needs and values. To this end, conversations about goals should be introduced early and revisited regularly to make sure healthcare decisions are in line with a patient's wishes. Throughout this module, we introduce goals of care conversations and communication skills as they relate to identifying goals and values.
What's included
2 videos7 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
Healthcare providers, in general, make a life of being attentive to and providing resources for people during times of illness and suffering. This type of work, while essential and rewarding, undoubtedly bears its cost in work-related stress, burnout and fatigue. The response to internal and external stress is a key influencer on wellbeing. During this module, we discuss how to identify burnout in yourself and provide tips to ease the challenges that healthcare providers face.
What's included
2 videos4 readings3 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin
Congratulations on completing the course content. You have a few more step to complete the course. First review your reflection, next complete a peer-reviewed course project and then take the final exam. We hope you have enjoyed the course and look forward to seeing you in other classes!
What's included
1 reading2 assignments1 peer review
Instructors
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4.7 (43 ratings)Offered by
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Frequently asked questions
Dates and Duration Original Release Date: 09/30/2023 Expiration Date: 09/29/2026 Estimated Time to Complete: 11 hours 30 minutes Accreditation In support of improving patient care, Stanford Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. Credit Designation American Medical Association (AMA) Stanford Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 11.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Stanford Medicine designates this enduring material activity for a maximum of 11.5 ANCC contact hours. ASWB Approved Continuing Education Credit (ACE) – Social Work Credit As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Stanford Medicine is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Stanford Medicine maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this activity receive 11.5 enduring material continuing education credits. American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) - Enduring Materials Stanford Medicine has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This enduring activity is designated for 11.5 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until 09/30/26. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation. Disclosures Stanford Medicine adheres to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. There are no relevant financial relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies for anyone who was in control of the content of this activity.
View more at https://stanford.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=0&EID=47068
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.