Palliative & Hospice Care 101

Overview:

Providing palliative care to those living with a serious illness and their families is considered a basic human right and should not depend on where those individuals live and access healthcare. During this session, basic principles of palliative and hospice care and primary and specialty palliative care will be described. The importance of primary palliative care in all practice settings will be highlighted. Palliative care resources will be presented so that interested healthcare professionals can further develop their knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to palliative care.

Learning Objectives:

1. Differentiate palliative and hospice care as well as primary and specialty palliative care.
2. Apply primary palliative care principles to various practice settings.
3. Describe available resources for healthcare professionals to develop palliative care knowledge, attitudes, and skills.

Presenter:

Sarah Mollman, Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing, South Dakota State University

Sarah Mollman is an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University. Her past practice experience is oncology nursing and past research includes exploring decision making in women with early-stage breast cancer as well as perceptions and knowledge of palliative care in South Dakota. Currently, she is co-project director of a statewide network which is working to improve knowledge of palliative care in nursing students, healthcare professionals, and the community throughout the region. Dr. Mollman is leading a study to adapt and test an early palliative care intervention for rural patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers. If successful, she plans to broaden the intervention to rural patients with other serious illnesses and their family caregivers.