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BACKGROUND: With increasing support for the integration of palliative care and standard oncology, communication training programs are needed to teach oncology nurses and other providers about palliative care communication. Variance in cancer setting and availability and scope of palliative care programs warrant the need for a train-the-trainer course format to standardize teaching content and practice. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to report the outcomes of COMFORTTM SM Communication for Oncology Nurses, a train-the-trainer communication course supported by the National Cancer Institute (R25CA174627) to educate oncology nurses about palliative care communication to improve patient-centered communication and cancer care. METHODS: Oncology nurses (n=355) who attended the two-day course received instruction on how to teach communication, the curriculum for teaching palliative care communication, and support for developing outcome goals following the course. This study used 6- and 12-month follow-up data from nurses who provided feedback on the progress of these goals. FINDINGS: Nurses taught an additional 9,720 interdisciplinary oncology providers, conducted needs assessment of communication processes, initiated institution-wide palliative care communication training, and partnered with palliative care teams. Barriers to completing outcome goals included a lack of institutional support, specifically an absence of leadership, financial backing, and dedicated time. |
