Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
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Description The palliative care approach should be a core skill of every clinician. This module aims to provide the student with the knowledge and skills to identify and manage people’s palliative care needs from diagnosis of a chronic or life limiting illness to end-of-life care in a variety of healthcare settings. The module will be of interest to those working in primary, secondary and specialist areas, and aims to increase the students’ competence in delivering best practice palliative and end-of-life care. Module content is underpinned by National Palliative Care policy and the Palliative Care Clinical Competency Framework. This module employs a blended learning experience with two full days in DCU and 12 weeks online education which includes lectures, interactive videos, workshops, and discussion forums. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Articulate an understanding of the concepts of total pain and suffering, theoretical perspectives of loss, grief, death and dying, and the philosophy and principles of a palliative approach 2. Critically evaluate the assessment and management of pain and other common symptoms physical, psychosocial, and spiritual, for people with advanced disease and at end-of-life 3. Demonstrate a systematic higher-level understanding of the effective use of communication skills to support and enable therapeutic relationships with the person who has a chronic or life-limiting condition, including those experiencing cognitive deficits/reduced cognitive ability, and her/his family 4. Critically explore ethical decision-making at end-of-life for the person, family/significant others and the multi-disciplinary team 5. Demonstrate the ability to integrate a palliative care approach for people with chronic or life limiting illness 6. Demonstrate and critically appraise the importance of self-care in environments where staff consistently work with people experiencing dying, death, loss and bereavement | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
National and International policy, standards and guidelines in the provision of palliative care Palliative care needs assessment tools; recognising palliative care needs in the context of various disease trajectories Palliative approach in marginalised groups and underserved populations Including cultural and gender issues associated with palliative care. Ethical and legal issues associated with palliative and end-of-life care Advance care planning, voluntary stopping of eating and drinking, wish to hasten death, withholding/withdrawing treatments. Evidence-based approaches to management of common symptoms experienced at end-of-life Pain, gastrointestinal symptoms; respiratory symptoms; psychological symptoms; spiritual symptoms and suffering. Palliative care emergencies End of life care; anticipation and management of deterioration, medications, and syringe drivers. Moral distress and self-care | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
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