End-of-Life Essentials: building confidence and skills in end-of-life care

An article written by Associate Professor Kim Devery

End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE) is an online education platform and practice resource dedicated to enhancing the quality and safety of end-of-life care in hospitals. Aimed at clinicians, educators, senior managers, and quality assurance staff in the acute health sector, EOLE provides evidence-based materials designed to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills required to deliver high-quality end-of-life care.

Over the next few years, EOLE will undergo significant expansion to accommodate the needs of both individual learners and hospital organisations. The following initiatives highlight this expansion:

• New data collection processes: EOLE will introduce new reporting and data collection processes that allow hospitals to track and record workforce education completion on their platform. This approach aligns with a nationally consistent approach to workforce development around the Comprehensive Care Standard and National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.
• Increased accessibility: Hospitals will gain increased accessibility to EOLE education through the expansion of the EOLE Learning Management System functionality. This enhancement will enable hospitals to access EOLE education within their local education platforms.
• Development of assessment: Assessment will be introduced across all EOLE education, allowing hospitals to monitor and audit the impact of EOLE on their practices.
• Quality assurance resources: EOLE will provide expanded quality assurance and audit resources, such as case studies, to hospitals and services. These resources will be facilitated through an online community of practice, the National Accreditation Collaborative.
• Resource review: EOLE is conducting a systematic and targeted review of all their education materials. This review will focus on updating resources related to increasing access to services for underserved populations, bereavement care, and patient and carer perspectives.

In line with this review, EOLE has recently released a powerful video animation titled 'A Patient's Perspective.' This animation shares the poignant narrative of an individual who has faced the challenges of serious illness. It emphasises the impact of authentic connections between healthcare providers and patients, reaffirming the humanity at the core of healthcare.

The EOLE Project is looking forward to continuing to engage and work collaboratively with key stakeholders and our National Advisory Group to empower hospitals and clinicians to change practice and to build capacity to consistently provide quality EOL care to patients and their families or carers.

Authors:

Kim Devery 

Associate Professor

Project Lead, End-of-Life Essentials