Niang-Huei Peng
National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan
Title: Evaluation of the Impact of Multi-Module Pediatric Palliative Care Training in Pediatric Clinicians
Biography
Biography: Niang-Huei Peng
Abstract
Background: A lack of knowledge of pediatric palliative care and the resulting lack of confidence in oneself may create hesitation in caring for dying children and their families. Few training programs focus specifically on pediatric palliative care and no multi-module training program in pediatric palliative care is available in Taiwan. Objectives: To examine the impact of multi-module pediatric palliative care training on pediatric clinicians. Methods: A quasi-experimental study provided educational training in pediatric palliative care to pediatric clinicians and used a pre-test and a post-test to assess outcomes. A multi-module pediatric palliative care training program was presented at a four-day training conference for clinicians in Taiwan, and all pediatricians and all pediatric nurses who completed the entire four-day training program were invited to participate. A questionnaire was used to assess different research goals. Results: Thirty-nine pediatric nurses and eleven doctors participated in this study for a response rate of 83.3%. Results showed a significant main effect (p =0.002) of training on confidence levels among pediatric clinicians in a variety of areas, including emotional support for clinicians, implementation of palliative care, ethical and legal issues, and emotional support for dying children and their families. Conclusion: Our research suggests that education program can effectively boost pediatric clinicians’ confidences regarding providing palliative care for children and their families. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of an interdisciplinary and multifaceted training approach to pediatric palliative care training.