Outcomes of a National Training Curriculum to Advance Generalist Level Palliative Care.

The adoption of palliative care as an integral component of health care has led to the need for generalist level providers, especially important in serious illnesses such as cancer. The goals of this National Cancer Institute-funded training program were to (1) identify the eight domains of quality palliative care applied to oncology practice, (2) demonstrate skills for oncology advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the domains of palliative care, and (3) develop goals for implementing the skills training in practice through process improvement, staff education, and clinical care. The training program led by the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) project included oncology APRNs in a three-day training course with one-year follow-up for ongoing support and to assess impact.

Changes in cognitive function after pediatric intensive care unit rounds: a prospective study.

Background: Mental fatigue is impaired cognitive function induced by engaging in cognitively demanding activities. Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) rounds are demanding and may be a cause of impaired cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if PICU rounds induce poorer performance on cognitive tasks after rounds compared to before rounds and assess the feasibility of cognitive testing in the PICU.