Course Code: REL-PAC-ELNEC-CMCOM
Hours: 1.5
Type: Online Course
Content Expiration Date: 12/31/2029
Learning Objectives:
Identify important elements of effective communication.
Define the importance of interprofessional communication and communication with the individual with serious illness and their family caregivers.
Apply important communication principles in palliative care.
Outline:
Section 1: Overview of Communication
Communication
Practice Standards
Communication as the Foundation of Care
Needs and Expectations
Meeting Expectations
Barriers to Communication
Reflection
Communication in the Critical Care Setting
Communication Myths
Listening Versus Fixing
Exercise
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
Cultural Considerations
Patients with Differing Abilities
Team Perspectives
Encouraging Conversation
Listening Attentively
Mindful Presence
The Art and Privilege of Nursing: Listening
Reflection Questions
Patient Assessment Questions
Illness and Self-Image
Caregiver Assessment Information
Try It!
Review
Key Takeaways
Section 2: Communication Techniques
Empathy
Ask-Tell-Ask
I Wish, I Worry, and I Wonder
Giving Difficult Information
Giving Difficult News
Providing Support
Communication Pearls
Establishing Goals of Care
Goals of Care
Facilitating Decisions When a Patient Is Nearing End of Life
Communicating an Unexpected Death
Review
Introducing Palliative Care
Articulating the Benefits of Palliative Care
Communicating with Colleagues
Key Takeaways
Section 3: Family Caregiver Meetings
The Importance of Family Caregiver Meetings
Planning a Meeting
Approach to Communication
Barriers
Steps of a Family Caregiver Meeting
Update the Team in a Premeeting
Make Introductions
Perform Assessments
Give Information
Provide Support
Prioritize Patient Values
Update the Plan of Care
Stop and Consider
Debriefing After Family Caregiver Meetings
Interprofessional Team Communication
Handling Disagreements
Acknowledge the Disagreement
Open Without Judgment
Listen Actively
Define Shared Interests
Generate Options
Seek Mutual Solutions
Agree to Disagree
Self-Assessment
Points to Remember
Resolving Conflict
Refusal of Palliative Care Vignette
Reflection Questions
Review
Key Takeaways
Section 4: Conclusion
Course Summary
Course Information
Course Contributors
Resources
References
Subject Matter Expert: 2026 ELNEC Core Series
The content for this course was written by The ELNEC Project Team.
The ELNEC Project, which began in 2000, is a collaboration between City of Hope, Duarte, CA and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Washington, DC. For more information about ELNEC, go to www.aacnnursing.org/ELNEC
The content for this course was revised by Constance Dahlin, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN®, FPCN, FAAN.
Constance Dahlin has focused her career within hospice and palliative care. Connie serves as national faculty for the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC). She has practiced palliative care across the health continuum: home, clinic, long-term care, rehabilitation, and acute care settings. She has administered hospice, home health, and palliative care programs. She has created education for program development, academic curricula, and interprofessional team education.
Currently, Ms. Dahlin is a palliative nurse practitioner at MGB Salem Hospital. She is faculty at University of Maryland Baltimore PhD, MS, and Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care. She is a consultant and senior nurse advisor to the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) with a focus on community-based care and education. She is co-director of the Palliative APP Externship at the Medical University of South Carolina. She serves on the American Hospital Association Circle of Life Award Committee, the Massachusetts Network for Community-Based Care, and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Steering Committee.
Ms. Dahlin has authored many peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and curricula. She has presented nationally and internationally. Ms. Dahlin is co-editor of the Oxford University Press Advanced Practice Palliative Nursing 1st and 2nd editions. She edited and authored four editions of the Palliative Nursing: Scope and Standards and three editions of the Competencies for the Palliative and Hospice RN, and APRN. She wrote the Hospice and Palliative APRN Professional Practice Guide and A Primer of Reimbursement, Billing, and Coding: Essential Information for the Hospice and Palliative APRN. She referenced the 2004 first education of the National Consensus Project’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for Palliative Care and edited the 2009 and 2013 editions.
Ms. Dahlin is a Fellow of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a 2005 Certified ACHPN APRN of the year, a 2016 Sojourns Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Leadership Scholar Award Recipient, a 2018 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Visionary in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the 2020 Hospice and Palliative Nursing Association Distinguished Practice Award and the 2021 University of Maryland Baltimore Program in Palliative Care Teacher of the Year. She completed her MSN in oncology nursing and her post-masters in adult primary care at the MGH Institute of Health Professions.
Target Audience:
The target audience for this course is: Advanced Practice Nurses; Nursing Personnel; in the following settings: Hospice.
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All courses offered by Relias Learning, LLC are developed from a foundation of diversity, inclusiveness, and a multicultural perspective. Knowledge, values and awareness related to cultural competency are infused throughout the course content.
To earn continuing education credit for this course you must achieve a passing score of 80% on the post-test and complete the course evaluation.
Course Delivery Method and Format
Asynchronous Distance Learning with interactivity which includes quizzes with questions/answers, and posttests.