Nursing in Palliative Care

Main objective: To know the basics of the integrated nurse care related to Palliative Care.

Specific objectives:
- To know the concepts and definitions relevant to palliative care.
- To recognize patients with chronic complex diseases or who need palliative care at the end-of-life.
- To be able to collaborate with the teams and plans for the multidisciplinary palliative care.
- To incorporate the deontology and ethical principles to the nurse care of the patients with chronic complex disease or at the end-of-life.
- To know and tho know how to apply the main support procedures and symptoms control treatments in patients with palliative care.
- To gain communication and psychoemotional support skills with patients and their families.
- To know the processes of therapy optimization in persons with chronic complex diseases and palliative care.

General description:
Basic knowledge for the nursing integrate care of patients who need palliative care and their families.

Subjects:

1. Past, preent and future of Palliative Care
2. Concepts and definitions in palliative care
3. Assessment of patients with diseases that have no cure or who are in the end-of-life
4. Planning, organization and team work in palliative care
5. Ethical aspects in palliative care and end-of-life
6. Communication in palliative care
7. Symptoms control in palliative care
8. Analgesia and sedation in palliative care
9. Drug administration routes and techniques
10. Psychological support in palliative care

- A. García González. Enfermería en cuidados paliativos. 2017. Editorial Universitaria Ramón Areces
- J. González Otero. Cuidados paliativos. Recomendaciones terapéuticas para Atención Primaria. 2013. Editorial Panamericana.
- Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios sociales e Igualdad. Cuidados paliativos pediátricos en el sistema nacional de salud: Criterio de atención. 2014.
- I. Astigarraga. Medicina paliativa en niños y adolescentes.
- B. Martínez Cruz. Enfermería en cuidados paliativos y al final de la vida. 2012
- Timothy E. Quill. Palliative Care and ethics. Oxford University Press. 2016.
- Ann Goldman. Oxford texbook of Paliative Care for children. 2012.
- C. Walshe. Palliative Care Nursing (3rd ed.). Open University Press. 2018.
- M. Matzo. Palliative care nursing. Springer, 2018.
- M.L. Campbell. Case studies in palliative and enf-of-life care. 2012.
- Sociedad Española de Cuidados Paliativos (SECPAL). Guía de Cuidados Paliativos. SECPAL, 2010.

- To know the concepts and definitions that apply to the care of patients in palliative care and at the end-of-life.
- To know the palliative care plans and the nurses' roles in the multidisciplinary and team work care of this patients.
- To be able to perform a basic assessment of patients with diseases that have no cure and to collaborate with the team in the planning of care.
- To recognized the ethical aspects related to palliative care and end-of-life, as well as the basis for the shared decision making processes and the analysis of potential ethical conflicts in those patients.
- To know and to know how to apply the basis for symptoms control, specially pain, in patients with palliative care.
- To gain communication skills and for the management of psychological aspects in palliative care.

Lectures about the basis of the subject.
Interactive sessions based on clinical cases and simulations, with the participation of students, individually and in groups.
Basic and advanced clinical simulation.
Preparation and presentation of essays in group. Individual essays.
Reading and comments about specific references.
Individual and group mentorship, with interactive methodology.

The assessment will be done by means of objective testes that will evaluate the acquisition of knowledged and competencies.
Such tests will be of several types (individual or grupal essays, written tests, participation in seminaries, simulations, etc.), in addition to the theoretical final test.

Mix assessment, including:

- Continued assessment of presence and participation in activities: 10 %.

- Individual and group essays: 30 %
To pass this part, a minimum of 18 (of a total possible of 30) must be obtained.

- Knowledge assessment: 60 %
It will consist on 60 questions MCQ, with 4 possible options and only one correct. One point will be discounted per each 3 failed questions. To pass this part, a minimum of 40 points must be obtained.


To the global pass, it will be mandatory to pass both the theoretical test and the essays.

Presence in lectures and active participation in lectures and seminars will be the basis to pass the subject.

In addition, the student will need to devote time to personal and team essais, as well as to the study of the subject.

As a general rule, it is estimated that, at least the following study times will be required:
- Team essay: 4 hours.
- Individual essay: 3 hours.
- Subject's study: 20 hours.
- Theoretical test: 1 hour.

Presence and active participation in all teaching and learning activities.