Prof. Jennifer Tieman1, Dr Raechel Damarell1
1Flinders University, Australia
Biography:
Professor Jennifer Tieman is a Matthew Flinders Professor and the inaugural Director of the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD) a specialist research centre of Flinders University. She leads a series of national research and practice projects around palliative care, ageing, caring, dying, and grieving.
Abstract:
Background:
Evidence-based resources are vital for building clinician knowledge, yet gaps persist that impede best practice in palliative and end-of-life care. Collaborating with palliative care educators is essential in understanding their use of, and any barriers to, integrating evidence in their teaching to emerging clinicians.
Aims:
To explore how educators use evidence-based resources, including the CareSearch Clinical Evidence Summaries, in training and education.
Methods:
Purposive sampling captured perspectives from Australian academic and clinical educators, and National Palliative Care Project (NPCP) personnel (N = 62), representing a range of disciplines, roles, years of experience, and settings. Data were collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews, focusing on how CareSearch and other NPCPs are used for education, professional development, and workforce capability. Survey data were analysed with descriptive statistics and content analysis. Interviews were coded in NVivo and analysed with qualitative content analysis.
Results:
Educators consistently identified evidence-based resources as central to quality teaching. Three key themes emerged: evidence centrality, challenges to integration, and CareSearch’s role in supporting learning. Participants valued concise, clinically informed summaries that support real-world decision-making. They particularly valued resources that assisted with communicating, recognising dying, and understanding illness trajectories, yet identified several challenges in integration including evidence currency, availability, and accessibility. As one educator noted, “… but there’s research coming out all the time and we simply may not be aware of what the best quality is out there at any given point.” CareSearch was recognised as credible and practical, with 63% of educators and 52% of NPCP personnel actively using the Clinical Evidence Summaries.
Conclusions:
CareSearch provides evidence-based resources that support educators in preparing future clinicians in palliative and end-of-life care. Ongoing collaboration with educators is needed to adapt emerging evidence into flexible, context-sensitive resources that meet evolving educational needs in Australia and internationally.