Disseminating Neuropalliative Care Education via an Adaptable Curriculum: A Multi-site Feasibility Trial
Eileen Harrigan1, Breana Taylor2, Hannah Kirsch3, Shivani Ghoshal4, Kimberly Kwei5, Kate Brizzi6, Claire Creutzfeldt7, Tarini Goyal8
1New York University-Langone, 2University of WA, Neurology, 3Stanford University, 4Columbia University Medical Center, 5Neurological Institute, 6Massachusettes General Hospital, 7University of Washington, 8Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Objective:
In this study, we aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing a neuropalliative care curriculum at three separate academic institutions using EPEC-N, a free and publicly available neuropalliative care curriculum aimed at educating clinicians in primary neuropalliative care.
Background:
Neurologic disease is the number one cause of disability and a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite this significant clinical need, neurology trainees are seldom taught skills and concepts in palliative care. EPEC-N is designed to be taught by both palliative care specialists and non-specialists alike, and can be customized to create a unique program tailored to learners’ needs and interests.
Design/Methods:
Three academic centers implemented a neuropalliative care curriculum for neurology residents using EPEC-N modules. Instructor backgrounds varied by site and included neurology senior residents, fellows and faculty; none had completed palliative care fellowship at time of teaching. Teaching methods included lecture, case discussion and role play. To assess feasibility and acceptability of this novel curriculum, learners, instructors and site leads completed post-session surveys.
Results:
A total of 87 residents attended at least one didactic session and 23 residents completed the evaluation survey. All three sites were able to successfully implement an evidence-based neuropalliative care curriculum without relying on subspecialty instruction. Learners expressed a positive experience with this curriculum, with the majority of respondents indicating that each session was effective in improving their knowledge base, relevant to current practice, and provided in an effective teaching format. Site leads and instructors found the curriculum easy to use, in minimal need of modification, and helpful for delivering neuropalliative care education.
Conclusions:
The EPEC-N curriculum was successfully implemented at three US sites, demonstrating feasibility, acceptability as well as adaptability across institutions. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this curriculum in improving neuropalliative care skills for neurologists and raising the standard of primary neuropalliative care.