Description
Background: Families often feel unsure about how best to prepare children for the death of a significant adult caregiver with a poor cancer prognosis, necessitating guidance and support from health and social care professionals (professionals). Globally, professionals report a lack of knowledge, skill and confidence to provide this important aspect of supportive care, highlighting a need for educational opportunities.Aims: To evaluate the acceptability and long-term effectiveness of an educational intervention to promote professionals’ self-efficacy to providing family-centred cancer care in a specialist palliative care unit.
Methods: A two-hour, evidence-based and theory-driven educational intervention was co-delivered to 98% (54/55) of clinical staff within a specialist palliative care unit in February 2024. Guided by three levels of Kirkpatrick’s Model of Evaluation (reactions, learning, behaviour), a mixed-methods outcome evaluation was utilised and data analysed using pillar integration. Pre-test, initial post-test, three-month and eighteen-month follow-up surveys were used to determine self-efficacy, with focus groups exploring perceived impact of the intervention to clinical practice.
Results: A total of 54 professionals completed the pre-test, post-test-survey, with 39 and 45 completing the three-month and eighteen-month follow-up survey. Eight professionals participated in one of two focus groups three-months post-intervention. Findings identified statistically significant increases in scores of self-efficacy, with marked and sustained increases at all time points (p<.001). Professionals reported feeling better equipped to starting conversations with adults at end-of-life in relation to children. As a consequence of the educational intervention, the specialist palliative care unit introduced questions regarding children to the admission process.
Discussion: Equipping professionals to provide family-centred cancer supportive care at end-of-life care improves and sustains clinicians perceived self-efficacy to the provision of supportive care to adults at end-of-life. Globally, starting important conversations about the children at the time of admission has the potential to promote better outcomes for the family, pre-and-post bereavement.
| Period | 14 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event title | The 20th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Prague, Czech RepublicShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |