Improving Palliative Care Knowledge of Nurses Caring for Heart Failure Patients
May 24, 2025 from 9:50am EST to 10:20am EST
Approximately 80% of patients with heart failure (HF) die within five years of diagnosis and may benefit from palliative care (PC). PC is underutilized in HF patients. One barrier is nurses' insufficient knowledge of PC. This quality improvement project aimed to enhance the PC knowledge of nurses caring for patients with HF in a Canadian tertiary care setting. The project was guided by the knowledge-to-action framework. Semi-structured interviews identified nurses' learning needs, informing the educational sessions, which were delivered using hybrid, virtual, and asynchronous modalities. PC knowledge tests were used pre- and post-intervention to evaluate the nurses' PC knowledge. The data were presented using descriptive statistics. Thirteen nurses attended educational sessions. Ten responses were received for both the pre-and post-knowledge tests. Most participants had over 10 years of experience, were aged 41 years or older, and had prior PC training. Post-tests showed improved knowledge (90%-100%) of opioid use for symptomatic relief of dyspnea, advanced care planning (ACP) discussions, and communication processes. Knowledge of NSAID use in HF patients increased by 60%. All nurses demonstrated an understanding of ACP concepts before and after the education. PC concept understanding increased from 80% to 90%. Educational sessions improved nurses’ PC knowledge, and future education should emphasize improving PC perceptions and symptom management. Evaluating educational effectiveness is challenging because of low participation. Further research with a large sample, longer implementation time, ongoing evaluation of PC knowledge, and nurses with diverse ages and experiences is required to understand the impact of PC education.
Keywords: Palliative care, Heart failure, Nurses, Knowledge, Education.
Speakers / Panelists
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Improving Palliative Care Knowledge of Nurses Caring for Heart Failure Patients
May 24, 2025 from 9:50am EST to 10:20am EST
Sana Ali
RN, MScN
Sana Ali
Sana Ali
RN, MScN
Sana is a Nurse Educator at The Ottawa Hospital and a Clinical Investigator at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, dedicated to advancing cardiovascular health through education, research, and clinical practice. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Aga Khan University, and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa.
She has diverse clinical experiences across high-acuity settings, including the post-anesthesia care unit, intensive care unit, and intensive cardiac care unit, and has contributed to clinical projects aimed at translating evidence into practice to improve cardiac outcomes. Her recent publications focus on palliative care education for cardiac nurses and the cardiovascular health needs of women with breast cancer (under review).
Sana’s research interests include cardiovascular disease prevention, promoting cardiovascular equity among underserved populations, and improving women’s heart and brain health, including exploring sex-specific risk factors, social determinants of health, and racial and ethnic disparities.