Comfort Care Rounds: A Staff Capacity-Building Initiative in Long-Term Care Homes

Abigail Wickson-Griffiths, Sharon Kaasalainen, Kevin Brazil, Carrie McAiney, Diane Crawshaw, Mickey Turner, Mary Lou Kelley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article reports a pilot evaluation of Comfort Care Rounds (CCRs)-a strategy for addressing long-term care home staff's palliative and end-of-life care educational and support needs. Using a qualitative descriptive design, semistructured individual and focus group interviews were conducted to understand staff members' perspectives and feedback on the implementation and application of CCRs. Study participants identified that effective advertising, interest, and assigning staff to attend CCRs facilitated their participation. The key barriers to their attendance included difficulty in balancing heavy workloads and scheduling logistics. Interprofessional team member representation was sought but was not consistent. Study participants recognized the benefits of attending; however, they provided feedback on how the scheduling, content, and focus could be improved. Overall, study participants found CCRs to be beneficial to their palliative and end-of-life care knowledge, practice, and confidence. However, they identified barriers and recommendations, which warrant ongoing evaluation.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of gerontological nursing
Volume41
Issue number1
Early online date18 Jun 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine(all)

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