Global efforts to improve palliative care: the International End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium Training Programme.
OBJECTIVE
This paper is a report of an evaluation study to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium-International training conference in providing education and support materials to participants so they might return to their home countries and disseminate palliative care information.


BACKGROUND
More than 50 million people die each year, many without access to adequate pain control or palliative care. Numerous barriers to implementation of palliative care exist, including lack of education provided to healthcare professionals regarding these principles. Because they spend the most time with patients and their families, nurses have the greatest potential to change the way palliative care is provided.


METHODS
A Course Evaluation Form and a Postcourse Activity Evaluation was completed by a convenience sample of 38 nurses from 14 Eastern and Central European, former Soviet, and Central Asian countries. The data were collected in 2006 using Likert scales and open-ended questions.


RESULTS
Evaluations of speakers ranged from a mean of 4.4 to 4.9 on the 5-point scale, with five denoting the highest level. The mean rating of the conference overall was 4.9. Strengths included the professional level of presentations, practical, clinically based content, extensive resources and availability of the educators.


CONCLUSIONS
The first End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium-International training programme demonstrated the feasibility of providing high-quality, essential education to nurses from a variety of countries. Because End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium is designed as a train-the-trainer programme, assistance with translation to native languages, along with textbooks and other resources, is needed to allow participants to fully implement this curriculum.
Paice
Judith A
JA
Cancer Pain Program, and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA. j-paice@northwestern.edu
Ferrell
Betty R
BR
Coyle
Nessa
N
Coyne
Patrick
P
Callaway
Mary
M
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D007391:International Cooperation; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000592:standards*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013727:Terminal Care; D019452:Terminally Ill