Symptom Management in Palliative Care

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/symptom-management-in-palliative-care

Introduction

### Course Review: Symptom Management in Palliative Care **Course Name:** Symptom Management in Palliative Care **Platform:** Coursera **Prerequisite:** Essentials of Palliative Care #### Overview The "Symptom Management in Palliative Care" course is a vital continuation of the foundational knowledge gained in the Essentials of Palliative Care course. It dives deeper into the intricacies of managing both physical and psychological symptoms that patients with serious illnesses often face. This course emphasizes the importance of communication, psychosocial support, and understanding patient goals, allowing healthcare providers to better assist in enhancing patient quality of life. The structured modules guide learners through essential topics such as pain, nausea, fatigue, and emotional distress, ensuring that participants are well-equipped to identify, assess, and manage these common symptoms effectively. With the inclusion of real-life case studies and a focus on cultural competencies, the course also prioritizes the holistic approach needed in palliative care practices. #### Syllabus Breakdown 1. **Course Introduction and Overview** This introductory module lays the groundwork for understanding the significance of frequent assessments and management strategies for both physical and psychological symptoms. It addresses the often under-treated nature of symptoms like pain and distress and explains how these issues can lead to a deteriorating quality of life. 2. **Review of Palliative Care** This review module is particularly helpful for those who may not have completed the Essentials of Palliative Care course. It provides a concise summary and allows learners to refresh their knowledge through engaging video content. Importantly, it includes real case studies, such as Sarah's, providing context and relatability to the material. 3. **Pain Management** Focusing on a critical aspect of palliative care, this module details the subjective nature of pain and emphasizes the importance of communication to fully understand a patient's experience. It equips learners with strategies for effective pain assessment and management, essential tools for any caregiver. 4. **Other Physical Symptoms** This section assists participants in identifying and addressing a range of physical symptoms beyond pain. Understanding the spectrum of symptoms that can impact patients with serious illnesses is crucial for comprehensive care. 5. **Distress Management** Emotional distress is a significant component of quality of life for patients and their families. This module educates learners on the complex relationship between disease, stress, and emotional health. It provides screening techniques for emotional distress and actionable strategies to alleviate this distress, ensuring that caregivers can support their patients holistically. 6. **Final Steps** The course concludes with reflection prompts, a peer-reviewed project, and a final exam to reinforce learned concepts and ensure participants leave with practical knowledge ready for implementation in the field. #### Recommendations The "Symptom Management in Palliative Care" course earns a strong recommendation for anyone involved in healthcare, particularly those working in palliative care settings. It is especially beneficial for nurses, physicians, social workers, and other healthcare providers who have completed the foundational course. **Key Benefits:** - **Comprehensive Learning:** The course builds on previous knowledge, making it suitable as a next step for learners who wish to deepen their understanding of symptom management. - **Practical Focus:** It emphasizes real-life applications and case studies, which enhances the relevance of the material. - **Emphasis on Communication and Cultural Competencies:** The course not only focuses on symptom management but also stresses the importance of understanding the patient's experience and cultural context, which is crucial for effective care delivery. In conclusion, the "Symptom Management in Palliative Care" course provides critical skills and knowledge that can significantly improve the quality of care for patients experiencing serious illnesses. For anyone committed to advancing their understanding and practice of palliative care, this course is an invaluable resource that should not be missed.

Syllabus

Course Introduction and Overview

Regular assessment and management of physical and psychological symptoms is critical to treatment adherence and quality of life for patients. Still, symptoms such as pain, nausea and distress are often under-treated. Palliative care specialists can help when symptoms are difficult to manage. People with a life-threatening diagnosis often experience symptoms that change regularly and may persist as chronic issues throughout life. We discuss common symptoms experienced by people such as pain, nausea and fatigue. Poorly managed symptoms often lead to isolation from regular activities and increased psychological distress. Some patients cite a loss of identity that comes along with life being defined by the experience of symptoms and side effects. In this course, you will learn more about how to identify, assess and manage common physical and psychological symptoms.

This module reviews the concepts learned in the Essentials of Palliative Care course and a brief summary of the symptoms covered in the Symptom Management course. We realize that some learners are interested in only completing specific courses while others are moving through the entire specialization. The following videos are meant as a review for those who have not completed the other courses. You are not required to watch these videos if you feel you have a strong handle on the material. You can check your knowledge with the ungraded quiz in the next section and review the summary videos if necessary. Also contained in this module are the Sarah case study videos from Essentials of Palliative Care for those who want to review her story.

This module focuses on pain assessment and management for patients suffering from serious illness. We will also address how pain is subjective and why communication is critical to get a better understanding of a patient's experience.

In this module, you will learn more about how to identify, assess and manage common physical symptoms that affect patients with serious illnesses.

Emotional distress is common for patients and families living with a serious illness. Distress may surface as a result of, among other things: physical symptoms, fears, uncertainty, or a sense of losing one’s identity. Palliative care, in part, addresses the relationship between disease, stress, social roles and emotional manifestations to improve quality of life for patients and families. Often times this involves managing the emotional adjustment to a diagnosis or at other transition points during the course of disease and survivorship. Patients report that emotional wellbeing is one of the biggest influencers on quality of life. Still, emotional distress is often underreported and under treated. This module will help providers and caregivers conduct a basic screening and assessment for emotional distress and identify several ways to manage distress for those living with serious illness.

Congratulations on completing the course content. You have a few more step to complete the course. First review your reflection, next complete a peer-reviewed course project and then take the final exam. We hope you have enjoyed the course and look forward to seeing you in other classes!