Implementing palliative care education into primary care practice: A qualitative case study of the CAPACITI pilot program

Abstract

Abstract Background: CAPACITI is a virtual education program that teaches primary care teams how to provide an early palliative approach to care. After piloting its implementation, we conducted an in-depth qualitative study with CAPACITI participants to assess the effectiveness of the components and to understand the challenges and enablers to virtual palliative care education. Methods: We applied a qualitative case study approach to assess and synthesize three sources of data collected from the teams that participated in CAPACITI: reflection survey data, open text survey data, and focus group transcriptions. We completed a thematic analysis of these responses to gain an understanding of participant experiences with the intervention and its application in practice. Results: The CAPACITI program was completed by 22 primary care teams consisting of 159 participants across Ontario, Canada. Qualitative data was obtained from all teams, including 15 teams that participated in focus groups and 21 teams that provided reflection survey data on CAPACITI content and how it translated into practice. Three major themes arose from cross-analysis of the data: changes in practice derived from involvement in CAPACITI, utility of specific elements of the program, and barriers and challenges to enacting CAPACITI in practice. Participants reported that the multifaceted approach of CAPACITI was helpful in teaching them how to apply a palliative approach to care in practice. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that CAPACITI training increased their identification of patients requiring palliative care, improved communication skills, and enhanced confidence in providing a palliative approach to care. CAPACITI warrants further study on a national scale using a randomized trial methodology.