title: Heart failure and palliative care: training needs assessment to guide priority learning of multiprofessionals working across different care settings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  International bodies acknowledge that palliative care principles and access to palliative care services should be offered to persons living with and dying from advanced illness such as heart failure. Without an appropriately trained workforce, however, appropriate goals of care and associated reductions in hospital utilizations may not be feasible.Marie Curie Cancer Care, British Heart Foundation Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are working in partnership to improve the quality and access to palliative care for patients and their caregivers living with and dying from advanced heart failure. A training needs assessment has been undertaken as part of this programme in order to inform the development of training specific to heart failure and palliative care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the training needs assessment showed that the majority of respondents had some level of training needs to underpin their existing knowledge and skills in relation to palliative care, heart failure or both.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Well trained professionals will improve the coordination, earlier identification, quality of care provision and communication between all stakeholders. In doing so, the opportunity to facilitate preferred care wishes and preferred place of care for patients and families is optimised. Without this aligning, clinical practice with national guidance is not feasible.
authors.affiliation: aCaring Together Programme, Glasgow Caledonian University bCaring Together Programme, Marie Curie Cancer Care/British Heart Foundation, Glasgow.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Millerick
authors.forename: Iain
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*