title: Development of a peer education programme for advance end-of-life care planning.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to develop and evaluate an education programme to help older people find out about treatment and care choices at the end of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  an action research approach was used to develop an education booklet about end-of-life care. A programme of qualitative evaluation ran alongside the project. It comprised a combination of methods, including face-to-face and telephone interviews and questionnaires with those who took part in the small group discussions.
  
  
  METHODS
  the research team consisted of five academic researchers and eight people recruited from voluntary groups representing older adults to act as community advisors in developing the programme. The booklet was tested in small group discussions with members of the general public. Five community advisors volunteered to act as 'peer educators' and helped to lead the small group discussions after receiving a 3-day training course to prepare them for their role. The project took place in Sheffield.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the education discussions and the related booklet were perceived as acceptable in providing information about a sensitive issue. Peer educators felt that the training course prepared them well. Community advisors felt that they were treated as equal members of the research team. This project has served as a useful pilot study of the education programme that has now been extended to other areas of the UK.
authors.affiliation: National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC), The University of Manchester, UK. Caroline.Sanders@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seymour
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Merryn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gott
authors.forename: Maddie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Welton
mesh_terms: D032722:Advance Care Planning; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003150:Community Health Workers / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003479:Curriculum; D004739:England; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D017144:Focus Groups; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D017145:Models, Educational; D033262:Narration; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010174:Pamphlets; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013664:Teaching Materials