An Assessment of the Utility of Formalized Palliative Care Education: A Niagara Case Study

Palliative care has been identified by the Canadian province of Ontario's Ministry of Health as having fundamental developmental deficiencies. In response to these deficiencies, four initiatives were implemented in 1992: (1) education initiatives for interdisciplinary providers; (2) education initiatives for family physicians; (3) support and maintenance of hospice volunteer visiting programs; and (4) establishment of regional pain and symptom management teams. The first initiative, education for interdisciplinary providers, focused on educating providers in long‐term care facilities/hospitals/home care programs. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the perceived benefits of this formal education in the region of Niagara. This article reports the results of a questionnaire survey with Niagara regional service providers (n = 112) who have received palliative care education through the first initiative. In addition, facility/hospital/home care administrators (n = 50) were surveyed to determine their assessment of the practitioner/volunteer education. The results found in this investigation show that palliative care education has had a significant impact on the palliative care service delivery in the Niagara region, and suggests continued funding for ongoing education.