Karishma Popli1, S. Ian Borison2, Corey Tapper2, Danielle J. Doberman2, J. Ricardo Carhuapoma1, Ambereen K. Mehta2
1Department of Neurology, 2Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Objective:
To address the need for and assess the feasibility of a formal palliative care (PC) education program for neurocritical care (NCC) fellows, we developed a novel multifaceted curriculum and integrated it into a NCC fellowship program.
Background:
There is a need for PC integration in neurology, neurosurgery, and NCC fields, but formal training of these skills in NCC fellowships is limited.
Design/Methods:
The curriculum, piloted in the 2022-2023 academic year, included virtual didactics with 14 lectures from Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Neurology (EPEC-N) developed by national and international neuropalliative experts and simulations to reinforce and master communication skills. Clinical scenarios specific to NCC were written and vetted by NCC and PC faculty to reflect challenging situations frequently encountered by fellows at this single institution.
Results:
Thus far, learners have provided positive reviews of the curriculum, including 8 out of 8 fellows who responded to a 3-month post-survey that the VitalTalk training changed the way they practice clinically, and that they use the skills learned during the training. The NCC fellowship program leadership will continue the curriculum into the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years. We continue to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data from survey responses on the curriculum.
Conclusions:
This pilot program will provide neurocritical care fellows with tools and new skillsets to integrate palliative care within their practice in the future. This innovative curriculum can be used to help expand palliative care education in Neurocritical Care fellowship curricula after its impact is formally analyzed and interpreted. Limitations and barriers to this pilot program's implementation and our approach to overcoming these barriers will be reviewed, as will plans for expansion. Future efforts will incorporate formal evaluations, assessments of impact, and the development of curricula for an interdisciplinary team that includes nursing and advanced practice providers in acute neurosciences.
Disclaimer: Abstracts were not reviewed by Neurology® and do not reflect the views of Neurology® editors or staff.