“The national Competency Framework is well done. I really appreciate that it includes tools that direct clinicians to self-assess their competencies.”
Dr. David Henderson, Senior Medical Director, Integrated Palliative Care
Nova Scotia Health Authority
“The national Competency Framework is well done. I really appreciate that it includes tools that direct clinicians to self-assess their competencies.”
Dr. David Henderson, Senior Medical Director, Integrated Palliative Care
Nova Scotia Health Authority
Keeping the competencies relevant
The Nova Scotia Integrated palliative care strategy was designed to enhance collaboration and build capacity in the health system and across communities to effectively care for Nova Scotians. It is enabled through the Palliative Care network that represent all disciplines, decision support, research, volunteers and patient/family advisors, recognizing that palliative care is everyone’s responsibility. The network members work together to understand broader perspectives, developing policy, promoting a palliative approach (primary palliative care) using the Competency Framework, and identify potential gaps.
Achieving national agreement
The Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework is an accomplishment of national consensus. The competency self-assessments within the Framework are very helpful for members of the team to self-evaluate their comfort level with the expected palliative proficiencies. For Nova Scotia, the Framework is a useful complement to our provincial Competency Framework that provides information and linkages to regulation and practice guidelines.
Competency implementation
Education of clinicians in palliative care practice and in the Nova Scotia Palliative Care Competency Framework, released in 2017, was undertaken in partnership with Pallium Canada. We then moved upstream to strengthen educational curricula across all disciplines and provide teachers with facilitator training, so they fully understand the competencies they are teaching.
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Access to Palliative Care in Canada, 2023. Ottawa, ON: CIHI; 2023. P6
Assessing impact
We are now working together to survey students from as far back as 2017 to assess the effectiveness of the knowledge translation. We are seeking to determine whether people can identify things they learned that they put into practice and are continuing to use today. The importance of palliative care competency would, and should, be strengthened through inclusion on professional certification exams—both provincially and nationally.
Remaining relevant
Competencies must be refreshed as knowledge and practice evolve. This is a responsibility of all jurisdictions that could be coordinated by a national centre for palliative care. This centre could also support public awareness about the normalcy of death and dying. The Competency Framework provides clinicians with the means to become more knowledgeable and consistent when discussing palliative care with all patients who want to be informed and to prepare.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority was formed on April 1, 2015, as an amalgamation of nine existing regional authorities. The Authority provides health services to Nova Scotians and some specialized services to Maritimers and Atlantic Canadians. It operates hospitals, health centres and community-based programs across the province and works in partnership with community groups, schools, governments, foundations and auxiliaries and community health boards. The Nova Scotia Health Authority is the largest employer in the province, with more than 23,000 employees, 2,500 physicians and 7,000 volunteers working from 45 different facilities.
This project has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.
This post is also available in: French
