Leveraging Partnerships to Develop Palliative Care Professionals

James Gerhart, PhD, Sean O’Mahony, MB, BCH, BAO & Kathrin Milbury, PhD - Palliative Care SIG

Palliative care provides non-curative treatments aimed at improving the quality of life for patients and families dealing with serious and often life-threatening illnesses (Center to Advance Palliative Care, n.d.). Despite its efficacy for enhancing well-being and even subtle impacts on length of survival in advanced cancer (Hoerger et al., 2019), the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 86% of patients never receive palliative care due to provider shortages (World Health Organization, n.d.). Regarding the developing field of palliative psychology, only 0.4% of the 834 internship programs, and 264 postdoctoral fellowships listed in the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internships include the keyword “palliative” in the directory. Many psychologists are trained informally via psychosocial oncology rotations, and other novel means (see Strada, 2018).

To address this need, Dr. Michael Hoerger, PhD at Tulane University developed a palliative psychology pipeline program for undergraduates (Hoerger, 2022). He stated, “Early experience in palliative care research has led undergraduates to pursue advanced degrees in psychology, medicine, and nursing, and to stick with research in palliative care and behavioral medicine over the longer term.” Thus, early exposure can launch the next generation of clinical researchers into palliative care careers.

Our partnering organization, The Coleman Palliative Medicine Training Program (CPMTP: https://colemanpalliative.org/) is an interdisciplinary training program developed in partnership across Rush University and University of Chicago with support from the Coleman Foundation. The program serves physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, psychologists, social workers and chaplains at all levels of training and experience.

When asked why she developed the CPMTP, co-founder Dr. Stacie Levine, MD said, “In 2010 several concerned physicians in health systems throughout the Chicago region convened to figure out how to address severe gaps in our palliative care workforce. Many hospitals had no board-certified palliative medicine clinicians, and several of those who did were operating with solo physicians or APPs. This was not a sustainable model for thousands of patients and families in need of better symptom management and psychosocial support. We made a pitch to the Coleman Foundation, a local non-profit that funds cancer care, entrepreneurship, and programs for persons with disabilities. The Foundation provided the grant funding we needed to create an interprofessional training program for clinicians so we could lift their palliative care skills, thereby increasing our workforce numbers."

Since its founding in 2013, CPMTP has trained over six hundred clinicians in palliative care competencies (e.g., decision-making, pain management, opioid safety). Program coordinator, Aliza Baron said, “learners respond to the robust, comprehensive curriculum with interdisciplinary teaching from thirty-two instructors, and select the topics most relevant to their practice and learning needs.  They take ownership of their education by identifying new skills learned and practice change behaviors after each session they attend.  While each CPMTP course curriculum is unique, alumni of the flagship 6-month course, Professional Development in Communication and Supportive Care, have reported benefitting from the strong emphasis on the interdisciplinary teams, communication role-plays, and instruction on the needs of special populations.” A strong network of peers also facilitates research collaborations and occupational well-being (Ansari et al., 2022). Members interested in learning more can visit https://colemanpalliative.org/ or contact the Aliza Baron, (abaron@bsd.uchicago.edu).

If your research or clinical interests involve patients and families coping with serious illness, we encourage you to the Palliative Care SIG about opportunities for collaboration.

References:

1. Ansari, A., Baron, A., Nelson-Becker, H., Deamant, C., Fitchett, G., Fister, E., O’Mahony, S., & Levine, S. (2022). Practice Improvement Projects in an Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Training Program. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 39(7), 831–837. https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091211044689
2. Center to Advance Palliative Care. (n.d.). Palliative Care Definition | What is Palliative Care. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://www.capc.org/about/palliative-care/
3. Hoerger, M. (2022). Priming the Palliative Psychology Pipeline: Development and Evaluation of an Undergraduate Clinical Research Training Program. Journal of Cancer Education : The Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, 37(6), 1942–1947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-021-02064-5
4. Hoerger, M., Wayser, G. R., Schwing, G., Suzuki, A., & Perry, L. M. (2019). Impact of Interdisciplinary Outpatient Specialty Palliative Care on Survival and Quality of Life in Adults With Advanced Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Annals of Behavioral Medicine: A Publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 53(7), 674–685. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kay077
5. Strada, E. A. (2018). Palliative Psychology: Clinical Perspectives on an Emerging Specialty. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199798551.001.0001
6. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Palliative care. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care