title: Effectiveness of a perinatal and pediatric End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) curricula integration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Educational practices and national guidelines for best practices of providing palliative care to children and their families have been developed and are gaining support; however, the dissemination of those practices lags behind expectations. Incorporating education for pediatric palliative care into nursing pre-licensure programs will provide guidelines for best practices with opportunities to enact them prior to graduation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of an integrated curriculum for palliative care on nursing students' knowledge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Matched pretest-posttest.
  
  
  METHODS
  One private and one public university in the northeastern United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of baccalaureate nursing students, one exposed to an integrated curriculum for palliative care and one without the same exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-testing of the students with a 50-item multiple choice instrument prior to curriculum integration and post-testing with the same instrument at the end of the term.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This analysis demonstrated changes in knowledge scores among the experimental (n=40) and control (n=19) groups that were statistically significant by time (Wilks' Lambda=.90, F(1, 57)=6.70, p=.012) and study group (Wilks' Lambda=.83, F(1, 57)=11.79, p=.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An integrated curriculum for pediatric and perinatal palliative and end-of-life care can demonstrate an increased knowledge in a small convenience sample of pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students when compared to a control group not exposed to the same curriculum. Future research can examine the effect on graduates' satisfaction with program preparation for this specialty area; the role of the use of the curriculum with practice-partners to strengthen transfer of knowledge to the clinical environment; and the use of this curriculum interprofessionally.
authors.affiliation: Fairfield University, School of Nursing, 1073 North Benson RD, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA. Electronic address: eoshea@fairfield.edu.
authors.forename: Eileen R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: O'Shea
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada. Electronic address: Suzanne.Campbell@nursing.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Suzanne Hetzel
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Nursing, 231 Glenbrook Rd., Unit 2026, Storrs, CT 06269-2026 USA. Electronic address: arthur.engler@uconn.edu.
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Engler
authors.affiliation: Fairfield University, School of Nursing, 1073 North Benson RD, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA. Electronic address: rachel.beauregard@ynhh.org.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beauregard
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada. Electronic address: Elizabeth.Chamberlin@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Chamberlin
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada. Electronic address: leanne.currie@nursing.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Leanne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Currie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003479:Curriculum; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000193:education*; D009511:New England; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ELNEC curriculum integration; End-of-life nursing education; Palliative; Pediatric; Perinatal