Journal of palliative medicine
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Effectively engaging Canadians to help improve the quality and delivery of healthcare to dying Canadians is a priority for healthcare administrators and policy makers. This report shares our evaluation and learnings, applying a series of strategies to encourage policy formation. The Palliative Care Matters consensus development conference held in Ottawa on November 7-9, 2016 brought together members of the public, stakeholders, scientific experts, and a lay panel of interested Canadians to examine Canadian public opinions on palliative care and question experts on how palliative care could be enhanced. ⋯ The outcome of the conference was positive. It was attended and watched online by over 400 participants, received national print, radio and television coverage, and generated high exposure and engagement on social media. Survey results showed that the majority of steering committee, expert, and lay panel members felt a high level of engagement and agreed that the engagement process was successful. Evaluation will be conducted on an ongoing basis for at least another year.
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Nurses and nursing care providers provide the most direct care to patients at end of life. Yet, evidence indicates that many feel ill-prepared for the complexity of palliative care. ⋯ Resources exist to support palliative education for nurses and nursing care providers. Furthermore, the evidence suggests good outcomes from this education. However, there is no dedicated strategy for implementing those resources. Furthermore, there is little evidence of the critical role of knowledge translation in preparing nurses and nursing care providers for evidence-informed palliative practice.
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Palliative Care Matters is a national initiative designed to develop consensus on the steps that need to be taken now to ensure Canadians can access high-quality palliative care services as part of Canada's universal healthcare model. Covenant Health and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer joined with leading national health organizations to lead this initiative, resulting in a Consensus Development Conference in November 2016. Six questions were identified by experts in the field to form the basis of the conference. ⋯ Awareness of palliative care is not widespread in Canada, but support for a modest educational public health campaign is prevalent. Canadians also strongly support national palliative care standards and integration into the Canada Health Act, but simultaneously express financial concerns regarding the associated costs required. The public opinion survey results were used as part of the deliberations at the Consensus Development Conference, culminating in a consensus statement being issued to inform potential policy options and implementation plans for palliative care in Canada.
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To identify barrier to achieving universal access to high quality palliative care in Canada, review published national strategies and frameworks to promote palliative care, examine key aspects that have been linked to successful outcomes, and make recommendations for Canada. ⋯ Comprehensive national strategies appear to improve access to high quality palliative care for persons with serious illness and their families. Such strategies require sustained government funding and address barriers related to infrastructure, professional and public education, workforce shortages, and an inadequate evidence base.