title: Care home managers' knowledge of palliative care: a Northern Irish study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine care home managers' knowledge of palliative care using the palliative care quiz for nursing (PCQN).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Palliative care is strongly advocated for all people living with advancing incurable illness. Within a care home setting there should be a particular emphasis on the importance of palliative care, particularly for those residents who, because of their advancing age, are likely to live with non-malignant diseases such as dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or heart failure to name a few.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before the beginning of a workshop on optimising palliative care for people living in care homes, 56 care home managers (all nurses) completed the PCQN, a validated questionnaire that is used to assess a nurse's knowledge of palliative care, as part of a learning exercise.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The quiz consisted of 20 questions for which participants could answer true, false or don't know. The average score was 12.89 correct answers out of a possible 20 (64.45%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the need to develop the knowledge and competence of care home managers in relation to palliative care. This is particularly important given the increasing number of people who are living with non-malignant disease within a care home setting.
authors.affiliation: Resident Experience Care Specialist, Four Seasons Health Care, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Deputy Nurse Manager, Silver Birch Lodge Nursing Home.
authors.forename: Jessie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McGreevy
authors.affiliation: Researcher, Queen's University Belfast.
authors.forename: Deborah Hl
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Preshaw
authors.affiliation: Resident Experience Support Manager at Four Seasons Health Care.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agnelli
authors.affiliation: Resident Experience Care Specialist at Four Seasons Health Care.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diamond
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D009660:Northern Ireland; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010166:Palliative Care
keywords: Care home managers; Care homes; Non-malignant disease; Nursing homes; Older people; Palliative care