$1.5 million grant to teach U of L students how to ease pain, comfort dyingBy Laura Ungar • lungar@courier-journal.com • September 8, 2010Comments (1) Recommend Print this page E-mail this article ShareDel.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit NewsvineBuzz up!Twitter FarkIt Type Size A A A The National Institutes of Health has awarded a grant of $1.5 million to a team from the University of Louisville to create a palliative care education program to teach future doctors, nurses and social workers to meet the physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological needs of cancer patients.A team from the schools of medicine, nursing and social work — along with the clinical pastoral education program at three Louisville hospitals — are working together on the project. Palliative care involves end-of-life, hospice care but also alleviation of symptoms and attention to the various needs of seriously ill patients.Experts say the program will be one of less than a handful of palliative education efforts in the nation that ties together various disciplines. University officials said it will be the first such program that is required for students in the various schools.“No one has ever tried this before,” Dr. Mark P. Pfeifer, chief medical officer at U of L Healthcare and principal investigator on the grant, said at a press conference Wednesday morning.Work related to the project will begin immediately, with the program starting for students next year. Officials said the students from the various schools will work together and learn about each other’s roles.“We envision teaching tools that might include clinical rotations, self-study modules, reflective writing and the standardized patient program, in which patient care situations are simulated with real people,” said Marcia Hern, dean of the U of L School of Nursing. “From a nursing perspective we are tremendously excited about the promise of this interdisciplinary program. Nursing has a strong tradition of holistic care and this fits right in with that time-honored practice.”Experts said health care professionals are increasingly learning about palliative care, but not about one another’s roles in caring for patients.“Education tends to be siloed. There’s little cross-talk among the disciplines,” said Dr. David Weissman, director of the End of Life/Palliative Education Resource Center in Wisconsin and one of the nation’s foremost experts on palliative care education. “Breaking down those barriers is really a good thing.…When dealing with complex problems, all people have a role to play.”U of L officials said the grant will help the community deal with one of its largest health problems — cancer. Kentucky has the highest cancer mortality rate in the nation.“The relevance of this grant is in part the tremendous burden that cancer represents to the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Dr. Larry N. Cook, executive vice president for health affairs at U of L’s Health Sciences Center. The grant “positions the health sciences center as a leader in interdisciplinary education in a high-profile area.”Pfeifer said there’s tremendous value in treating the patient’s physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs — especially when all hope of a cure is lost.“Palliative care meets patients where they are,” Pfeifer said. “It does not put science upon them.”Reporter Laura Ungar can be reached at (502) 582-7190.1Comments >>Read and share your thoughts on this story.Related Topics■Places - Louisville, KY, University of Louisville■Health - Medicine, Nursing, Palliative CareContextual linking provided by TopixAds by Pulse 360 Get Listed HereElizabethtown TODAY: iPads for $123.89Alert: iPads being auctioned for deep discounts. Learn how Now…www.consumertipsdigest.orgBack To School At MeijerEnter back to school sweepstakes Save on great deals at Meijer!www.Meijer.com/BackToSchoolElizabethtown Refinance: 3.7% FIXED!$160,000 Mortgage: $547/mo. No SSN req. No Credit Checks. FREE Quotes!www.LendGo.com
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