Choosing Educational Resources to Build Interprofessional, Palliative Care Competency: A Replicable Review Methodology

Abstract

Aim/Objective: The purpose of the project was to provide information to inform the choice of educational resources available in British Columbia to support palliative care competency development for 4 disciplines: nurses, physicians, health care assistants, and social workers/counsellors. This article will describe the process of resource review. Results of the review are available at https://www.bc-cpc.ca/cpc/education-resource-review/ . The objectives were to (1) identify gaps common to all educational resources, (2) provide information on content addressing competencies as well as logistics such as time required, cost, delivery method, and training requirements for instructors, and (3) develop a reproducible process for assessment of educational resources which is unbiased, transparent, and competency based. Method: Sixteen educational resources were assessed for the percentage of competencies that were addressed. Gaps common to all resources were identified. Results: The review process is described and can be replicated when assessing future versions of these and other palliative continuing education courses. This is a reproducible methodology for review of competency-based educational resources which could be applied for any practice-related subject. Conclusion: This review process provided information which can inform a provincial interprofessional palliative education plan. The methodology may be used by others to assess and choose between competency-based education resources with a palliative population focus and other patient population foci.