Authors Mary Magee Gullatte PhD, RN, ANP-BC, AOCN, FAAN Corporate Director of Nursing Innovation and Research, Emory Healthcare C. Suzanne Allen MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, AOCNS, OCN Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Elizabeth Botheroyd BSN, MHA, RN-BC Manager, Nursing Education Department, Emory Healthcare Robert Hess Jr., PhD, RN, FAAN Founder & CEO, Forum for Shared Governance Melinda Higgins PhD Research Professor, Emory Healthcare Julia Meneghetti BSN, RN, CCRN Contributor, Relias Institute Sandra Mullings LCSW, ACM-SW, CPC Director, Care Coordination, Emory University Hospital Midtown Jennifer Mensik PhD, RN, FAAN Division Director , Oregon Health and Science University Joy A. Okonye BSN, RN, CCRN Anesthesia Provider, Abbott Northwestern Hospital Nadine Salmon MSN, BSN, RN-BC, IBCLC SME Writer, Clinical Nursing, Relias Research Improving End-of-Life Communications Using Technology-Assisted Continuing Education with Interprofessional Teams Evaluating the use of online education to improve nurses’ and social workers’ level of comfort and capability in communicating end of life concerns. Background One role of healthcare providers is to involve patients and their families in end-of-life communication and decision making. However, this is often a sensitive topic that providers can be uncomfortable talking about. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of online education to improve nurses’ and social workers’ level of comfort and capability in communicating end of life concerns with patients and their families. Method A test-retest design pilot study was conducted with 20 inpatient registered nurses and social workers a medical-surgical and critical care unit. Participants viewed three 1-hour Kubler Ross webinars, and before and after the intervention, participants completed surveys, designed to measure self-reported levels of comfort and capability in dealing with end-of-life care and symptom management. Participants also completed a program evaluation. Results Results showed that both comfort and capability increased significantly after taking the online training. Further, 90% of the participants who completed the study found the education to be “much” or “a great deal” helpful in enhancing their skills, strategy, and performance. Implications This study highlights online continuing education as an effective and useful tool to improve the comfort and capability of nurses and social workers. End-of-life conversations can be uncomfortable but online education could provide one avenue to increase provider comfort and capability, potentially improving patient outcomes and quality of care. Citations Gullatte, M. M., Allen, C. S., Botheroyd, E., Hess, J. G. J., Higgins, M., Meneghetti, J., . . . Salmon, N. (2019). Improving end-of-life communication using technology-assisted continuing education with interprofessional teams. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 35(1), 25-31. doi:10.1097/NND.0000000000000514 Read the Full Research Paper For more information, you can find the full study in the journal, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development. Read More Publication January 2019 Disclaimer This study was published independently from Relias Institute.