Partner Initiatives
The EPEC Project is devoted to equipping clinicians with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to provide the best possible palliative care for their patients. The ultimate goal is to relieve suffering and improve the quality of life for all who are living with, or dying of, life-threatening illnesses.
A fundamental partnership in the EPEC project is between the EPEC core faculty and the talented clinicians who participate in conference trainings. This partnership improves not only the participants' own knowledge, skills and practice in palliative and end-of-life care, but also provides pragmatic instruction on training. Through a commitment to disseminate this knowledge, clinicians initiate trainings for their peers at their own institutions.
While EPEC Trainers impact patients and practice in a direct and personal way by enhancing service delivery at the community and institutional level, their effort is supplemented by the strengths and resources of partner organizations who work to create viable and sustainable change in palliative and end-of-life care.
Our valued partnerships increase the visibility of end-of-life issues and aid in the dissemination of effective educational materials. They extend the EPEC goals to increasingly numerous specialties and other populations, and in doing so work for systemic change in palliative and end-of-life care throughout the entire healthcare community.
Our valued partnerships take the form of three different types of collaborative initiatives:
Curricular Adaptations
International Collaborations
Institutional Collaborations
Curricular Adaptations
EPEC-Oncology
EPEC-Oncology (EPEC-O) is an adaptation of the EPEC curriculum for oncologists and other healthcare professionals who provide cancer care. The EPEC-O project seeks to equip oncologists and other health care professionals in cancer care with the tools to teach core skills in palliative care, including symptom management, ethical issues and communication skills. The development and creation of EPEC-O was funded by the National Cancer Institute, with supplemental funding from the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The first EPEC-O Train the Trainer workshop was held on June 13-15, 2005 in Renton, VA in collaboration with the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The project has trained over 100 EPEC-O trainers to date.
The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. Through its involvement with the EPEC-O project, the NCI actively pursued its goals of supporting education of those responsible for cancer patient care and filling the gap in formal medical education curriculum by offering continuing education to practicing and in-training oncologists and related care professionals (nurses, social workers, hospice workers) on end-of-life care for cancer patients.
The EPEC-O curriculum is available on DVD through the NCI website at: http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/epeco
EPEC-Emergency Medicine
EPEC-Emergency medicine (EPEC-EM) is an extensive adaptation of the original EPEC curriculum, designed to teach the essential clinical competencies in emergency palliative care. This curriculum was written and edited by emergency physicians and nurse educators to address issues specific to emergency medicine practice. Linda Emanuel, MD, PhD is principal investigator, and Tammie Quest, MD is co-investigator and project director. This project is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, the steward of research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. The NCI has partnered with EPEC-EM to enhance the quality of care cancer patients receive in emergency medicine by supporting continuing education efforts for emergency medical professionals.
EPEC-EM is a high impact, conference-based education dissemination project that utilizes the train the trainer model developed in the original EPEC Project. Conference participants are taught content about end-of-life and palliative care and are trained in teaching techniques and skills. These participants then return to their home institutions to teach what they learned to their colleagues and students. One goal of the EPEC-EM Project is to train directors of emergency medicine residency programs, so that future EM doctors will have exposure to the core principles of end-of-life and palliative care prior to seeing patients in need of these services. The first “Become an EPEC-EM Trainer” Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois in August 2007 and has since been incorporated as a specific track in the EPEC Train the Trainer conference workshops training over 80 trainers to date.
An additional aim of the EPEC-EM Project is the development and implementation of a coupled ‘EPEC-EM training + clinical reminders’ intervention to be put into operation in the emergency departments of academic health centers of Northwestern University and Emory University. This program will be evaluated not only for the number of people trained and their improvement in attitudes, knowledge, and selected skills, but also for clinical outcomes including selected clinician behaviors and patient outcomes.
EPEC-Caregiver: Navigating the Healthcare System
The Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care - Caregivers (EPEC-Caregiver) Project aims to foster the positive roles of patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and patient educators in the cancer care process. The EPEC-Caregiver Project is funded by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Lance Armstrong Foundation is a nonprofit organization that inspires and empowers people affected by cancer by providing practical information and tools that people with cancer need to live life on their own terms.
Navigating the Healthcare System
The EPEC-Caregiver Project has developed the Navigating the Healthcare System workshop. This 4 session workshop seeks to prepare people living with cancer and their family caregivers to navigate a complex healthcare system in order to receive the best care possible throughout their cancer experience. It is designed to be taught by nurses, social workers and patient advocates, educators and navigators. The workshop has been presented at the 2009 Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society, the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Association of Oncology Social Work, as well as to a group of Chicago-based patient educators in October 2009.
Materials for the Navigating the Healthcare System workshop include the Participants Handbook, consisting of 4 modules of content for people living with cancer and their family caregivers, a Trainer’s Guide for workshop instructors, and four specific topic brochures. The materials are available for download. The EPEC Project is also interested in training patient navigators using these materials. For information regarding workshops, please contact us at info@epec.net.
Click on the links below to log in and download the materials.
Curriculum: Participant's Handbook Trainer's Guide
Specific Topic Brochures: Burnout Communication Conflict Goals
EPEC for Veterans
The EPEC for Veterans Project will adapt the EPEC Curriculum, add new content for the specific needs of Veterans and their families and disseminate training throughout settings where Veterans receive care. This curriculum is being written by members of the Veterans Affairs (VA) system and the EPEC team. The overall EPEC for Veterans project will also include a Spanish translation of the Curriculum and new trigger tapes. This project is funded by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and directed by Amos Bailey, MD of the Birmingham VA and University of Alabama and Joshua Hauser, MD of the EPEC Project and Northwestern University.
EPEC Roman Catholic
EPEC Roman Catholic is an adaptation of EPEC that was led by Myles Sheehan SJ, MD, Dean for Medical Education at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. The goal of this project was to adapt the EPEC curriculum for use in healthcare facilities affiliated with the Catholic Church.
The Curriculum is available here:
http://www.epec.net/EPEC/Webpages/partnerrc.cfm
EPEC for Geriatrics
EPEC for Geriatrics is an adaptation of EPEC by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Ethics Committee to teach concepts in palliative care in geriatrics. The AGS is dedicated to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. This Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policy makers and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. In addition to adapting EPEC content, the EPEC for Geriatrics project developed new material concerning palliative care in long-term care, transitions of care, and pain assessment in cognitively impaired patients. It was taught at the May 2003 AGS Annual Meeting in Baltimore Maryland.
The curriculum is available here: http://www.epec.net/EPEC/Webpages/partnerags.cfm
EPEC-Long Term Care
Education in Palliative and End-of-life Care for Long-Term Care (EPEC-LTC) is a curricular adaptation of EPEC intended for use with the many disciplines that work in long-term care facilities. The adaptation was completed with a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation; RRF also funded the first pilot conference. Celia Berdes, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. led the adaptation effort; EPEC-LTC team members included Linda Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., Joshua Hauser, M.D., and Michael Preodor, M.D. Preliminary research, as well as the pilot conference attended by physicians, nurses, social workers, nursing assistants, physical therapists and pastoral care staff, was conducted at Presbyterian Homes, a multi-campus continuing care retirement community located in Evanston, Arlington Heights, and Lake Forest, Illinois. Current goals of EPEC-LTC include the development of a distance learning version as well as studying the feasibility of using EPEC-LTC for all staff in nursing home special care units caring for residents with advanced dementia.
EndLink
EndLink is an online resource for end-of-life care education made possible with funding through the National Cancer Institute. EndLink is an online adaptation of the EPEC curriculum that strives to provide physicians with the tools and information to provide compassionate and expert care to improve the wellbeing of both patients at the end of their lives, and their families. The site plans to expand over time to more fully address the needs of nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospice volunteers, psychologists, physical therapists and other professionals in this multidisciplinary endeavor.
The curriculum is available here: http://www.endoflife.northwestern.edu/
The APPEAL Project
The APPEAL Project was developed by African American experts in palliative care and offers training and curricula modeled after the EPEC Project with input from the core EPEC faculty. The APPEAL Project stands apart from other nationally recognized palliative care curricula by offering technical expertise hand-in-hand with insights into caring for African American patients and families at the end of life. APPEAL training is offered through the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life (ICEOL) increasing participants' palliative care knowledge and skills as well as their confidence and ability to communicate with African American patients and families.
More information is available here: http://www.divinity.duke.edu:81/iceol/events/appeal/index.html
International Collaborations
Collaborations with the international community are synergistic endeavors in the shared mission to implement and improve palliative care throughout the world. Through a collaborative effort, members of the EPEC Project team have observed and implemented palliative care education in numerous countries including, Lebanon, Jordan, Georgia, Moldova and India.
While efforts to provide critical training and to implement effective palliative care strategies are crucial parts of this exchange, our international partnerships also provide valuable insight on palliative and end-of-life care from other countries' and cultures' perspectives.
Please click the links below to view some highlights of our international collaborations.
EPEC-India
The EPEC-India Project was initiated to develop a curriculum that would meet the specific needs of India on a national and regional level taking into consideration its own medical, socio-cultural and legal environment.
The EPEC-India Project has created a curriculum specific to cultural and medical practices in India, as well as developed educational materials and media to facilitate the implementation of palliative care in various institutions throughout the country. This portion of the EPEC-India project was funded by a grant from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to further the cause of effective palliative and end-of-life care beyond the national level.
The curriculum is available here: Download Curriculum
Hospice Uganda
The EPEC Project, as a part of a long-standing collaboration with Hospice Uganda, conducted research to assess the feasibility of pilot programs in day care and caregiver training and certification in the region of Kampala, Uganda. The results of the feasibility study indicated that creating a low technology, low-skill healthcare economy based on training and certification for family caregivers in palliative care would most likely be welcomed by this population.
More information is available here: Hospice Uganda
The EPEC Project and international palliative care
Frank D. Ferris, M.D. is Director of International Programs at The Institute for Palliative Medicine. His work centers on disseminating expertise in palliative medicine to developing countries around the world, and his success at doing so is recognized by the US State Department, the National Cancer Institute, and the World Health Organization.
Please click here to login and download international palliative care pdf file
Institutional Collaborations
The following institutions have demonstrated an institution-wide commitment to improving palliative and end-of-life care through their extensive implementation of EPEC training.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
As part of an overall effort to improve the quality of palliative care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), The EPEC Project collaborated with NMH to present selected components of the EPEC and The ELNEC (End-of-life Nursing Education Consortium) curricula to a total of 65 physicians, nurses and social workers selected by hospital leaders in November, 2002. The educational program concluded with a small group activity designed to facilitate planning for education of other staff of 4 medical and surgical patient care areas.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is one of the country’s premier academic medical center hospitals. NMH seeks to improve the health of the communities they serve by delivering a broad range of services with sensitivity to the individual needs of our patients and their families. They enhance the quality of their service through the integration of education and research in an environment that encourages excellence of practice, critical inquiry and learning.
Danbury Hospital
Consistent with Danbury Hospital's mission of anticipating and responding to new developments in the health care system, Danbury demonstrated great commitment to educating hospital clinicians in the growing field of palliative and end-of-life care. The EPEC Project teamed up with Danbury Hospital in a hospital-hosted EPEC training conference to provide education in the core competencies and implementation of palliative and end-of-life care in this institution. This conference trained seventy-four hospital healthcare professionals in September 2008.
For 120 years, Danbury Hospital's mission in western Connecticut and nearby New York has been to advance the health and well-being of people in the community through partnerships with those they serve as well as other medical and social service organizations. The hospital works to achieve outstanding performance through patient care, education and outreach that combine to offer high quality, advanced technology and exceptional service to support patients and their families.
Odyssey HealthCare
The EPEC Project has supported Odyssey HealthCare’s mission through educational efforts in palliative and end-of-life care. The EPEC team partnered with Odyssey Healthcare to provide an on-site Train-the-Trainer conference equipping Odyssey medical directors across the country with up-to-date core competencies in palliative and end-of-life care. This conference took place in May 2007 in Dallas, TX and trained a total of thirty-four Odyssey medical directors from across the country.
Odyssey HealthCare is one of the largest hospice providers in the country, dedicated to improving the quality of life for patients facing terminal diagnoses and providing support for their loved ones. Odyssey Healthcare hospice services focus on maintaining dignity, increasing quality of life, and providing comfort, including pain and symptom management. Odyssey Healthcare and the EPEC Project share a commitment to bring exceptional end-of-life care to the communities they serve.
Sinai Health System
Through a grant funded by the Retirement Research Foundation, Sinai Health System established a continuing education program specifically tailored to their identified goals for improvement in palliative and end-of-life care. Sinai Health System instituted a series of Short Courses, Seminars and Grand Rounds presentations with a curriculum developed from the EPEC Project with input and support from the EPEC core faculty. From 2005 to 2006, a total of ninety-six physicians and residents were trained through two Short Courses and 5 Grand Rounds presentations.
For more than 80 years, Sinai Health System has provided medical care and social services to Chicago's neediest communities. Sinai provides a full continuum of care focused on meeting the needs of the communities and patients they serve.
Florida Hospital
Florida Hospital has been instrumental in encouraging and supporting the participation of large numbers of professionals at their institution in the EPEC ‘Become a Trainer’ Conferences. Twenty-two physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals were trained at the November 2004 ‘Become an EPEC Trainer’ conference in Orlando, Florida.
Florida Hospital is the oldest and largest health care system in Central Florida. Healthcare services provided at Florida Hospital focus on the whole person, with a mission to provide care for the mind and spirit as well as the body. This mission closely aligns with the EPEC focus on quality of life and comprehensive healthcare advocated for patients across the illness spectrum.
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