A Comparison of Lecture Versus Lecture Plus Simulation

Terminally ill patients frequently visit emergency departments for palliative care. However, studies have documented that staff do not have the knowledge base necessary to provide quality end-of-life care. This lack of educational preparedness led to a pilot study that compared 2 educational approaches to teaching emergency nurses the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium Curriculum. Three 8-hour lectures and three 8-hour lectures plus simulation classes were presented to nurses who volunteered from the emergency department of a level I trauma center. This study showed no statistical significance in knowledge base between the 2 educational approaches. However, the ELNEC curriculum increased the knowledge base of both groups. As a result of the course, the palliative care team has seen a significant increase in palliative care consults from the emergency department.