Mrs Meegan Callinan1, Alisha-Jane Fejgl1
1Eastern Health, Wantirna, Australia
Biography:
Meegan has been the Clinical Nurse Educator in the palliative care unit for 7 years. She originally trained in the hospital system and committed to lifelong learning throughout her career. She has completed a number of post graduate courses including a Master of Health Professional Education and Graduate certificate in Palliative Care. She has previously presented at ANZAHPE International Conference on Rehab nurses learning needs and development of an online program for ward nurses to support students. She loves to learn and increase her skills while keeping the focus on the patient and meeting their individual needs.
Abstract:
Background:
Pain is one of the most common symptoms impacting a person’s quality of life during their last months, weeks and days. Comprehensive pain assessment, a key nursing skill, is the foundation for safe and effective pain management. Wantirna SPCU provides end of life care to people in the eastern region of Melbourne. Following a Learning Needs Analysis, review of documentation and CLiP audits, gaps were identified in the nurses’ assessment and management of pain. The Nurse Manager and Educator initiated the East Ward Pain Project, to address these gaps with the aim to increase the knowledge, practice and quality of pain assessment and documentation.
Aims :
Develop and implement an education program utilising the knowledge and skills of the multi-disciplinary team to:
-Ensure pain is comprehensively assessed using a clear, simple process
-Accurately record and document pain assessment in paper / electronic systems
-Increase knowledge of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions
-Ensure the patients are receiving the right intervention for their reported pain.
Methods:
Utilising the COM-B Framework Behaviour Change Approach, the project commenced with collaboration of senior team members (nurses, medical and pharmacy) to identify and develop the education program. A variety of topics were developed and delivered by the clinical team. Over three months, 15 in-service sessions were held, covering 8 different topics plus videos and other resources distributed to support the project and reach nurses working rotating shifts.
Results:
A pre-project survey was conducted, with another survey at the end of the project. Ongoing review is occurring to identify resources or challenges in response to implementing this education program.
Conclusions:
Implementing behaviour change takes time, flexibility and ongoing engagement with the team. Evaluation of outcomes from the education program is ongoing. Further topics for educational activities may emerge through team engagement and future audits.
105