Congratulations to BCPRA's Palliative Care Committee (PCC) on receiving a 2018 BC Patient Safety and Quality Council (BCPSQC) Quality Award in the Coping with End of Life category (runner up).
The award, which recognizes the committee's dedication to advancing comprehensive and patient-centred end-of-life care for those with chronic kidney disease, was announced on November 9, 2017 by BCPSQC and will be presented at a Quality Awards ceremony on February 21, 2018 in Vancouver.
The PCC is chaired by Gaylene Hargrove, a nephrologist from Island Health, and consists of over 30 members from all health authorities in BC: patients, physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and a spiritual care specialist. The patient voice is deeply integrated into its work, both through consultation and the inclusion of patients as committee members.
The committee's efforts have supported adoption of formal strategies to improve and advance palliative care across all five regional renal programs. An environmental scan and staff survey five years after the inception of the committee found:
- 61% of respondents had end-of-life care training and the majority felt that it had increased their knowledge in providing care to patients.
- 83% were aware of the advanced care planning strategies within their renal programs.
- 57% had received training in advanced care planning and the majority of them "strongly agree" or "agree" that their training has equipped them with the necessary skills to have advanced care planning conversations with patients.
The Committee released its first provincial renal palliative Quality Metrics report in November 2016, and will publish reports biannually to identify and share efforts to improve quality of care for patients with chronic kidney disease.
The BC Renal Agency website includes a host of resources related to palliative care for both health professionals and patients.
