Quality improvement of the end of life care experience through bereavement calls made by spiritual care.

Improving the end of life care experience of people dying in acute care has become a priority for our organization since 2016 with the launch of the "Quality Living and Dying Initiative." This initiative has three distinct foci. The first two areas of focus, advance care planning and standardized comfort measures, are well established while the third focus bereavement program remains in its early stages. Bereavement is recognized as an essential component along the continuum of palliative care. Despite this recognition, bereavement care is often lacking in hospital settings. This paper will describe a telephone bereavement initiative spearheaded by the Spiritual Care Team at our organization.

Spiritual Care as Part of an Interprofessional Model for Debriefing on an Oncology Unit.

Health care clinicians who care for seriously ill and dying patients have been known to be at higher risk for burnout and moral distress. When not well supported in their workplace, clinicians may suffer additional adverse outcomes to their overall wellbeing. Self-care is one way to help mitigate these adverse outcomes. The literature has described formalized debriefing not only as a self-care strategy but an intervention to promote healthy team development. The focus of this paper will showcase how social work and spiritual care practitioners in our institution worked collaboratively to support an inpatient oncology unit to address issues related to burnout by providing staff with monthly debriefing sessions intended to enhance self-care and wellness in the workplace.

The Role of Spiritual Care with the Introduction of an End of Life Order Set.

Delivering comprehensive end-of-life care to dying patients must involve addressing physical symptoms and psychosocial concerns. Care pathways have been introduced to support health care teams in delivering this care. This retrospective chart review explores the contributions of the Spiritual Care Team in the care of dying patients. They offer a range of interventions which include supportive care, religious and spiritual support. This study was one step towards appreciating the contributions of the Spiritual Care Team.

Achieving Excellence in Palliative Care: Perspectives of Health Care Professionals.

Caring for individuals at the end of life in the hospital environment is a challenging proposition. Understanding the challenges to provide quality end of life care is an important first step in order to develop appropriate approaches to support and educate staff members and facilitate their capacity remaining "caring." Four studies were undertaken at our facility to increase our understanding about the challenges health professionals experience in caring for patients at end of life and how staff members could be supported in providing care to patients and families: (1) In-depth interviews were used with cancer nurses (n = 30) to explore the challenges talking about death and dying with patients and families; (2) Surveys were used with nurses (n = 27) and radiation therapists (n = 30) to measure quality of work life; (3) and interprofessional focus groups were used to explore what it means "to care" (five groups held); and (4) interprofessional focus groups were held to understand what "support strategies for staff" ought to look like (six groups held). In all cases, staff members confirmed that interactions concerning death and dying are challenging. Lack of preparation (knowledge and skill in palliative care) and lack of support from managers and colleagues are significant barriers. Key strategies staff members thought would be helpful included: (1) Ensuring all team members were communicating and following the same plan of care, (2) providing skill-based education on palliative care, and (3) facilitating "debriefing" opportunities (either one-on-one or in a group). For staff to be able to continue caring for patients at the end of life with compassion and sensitivity, they need to be adequately prepared and supported appropriately.