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What Communication Skills are Needed for Primary Palliative Care?

Communication is the most important, challenging, and widely employed palliative care skill, yet the ability to communicate with patients and their families  is often taken for granted  and rarely taught. 

Skilled communication in primary palliative care is characterized by openness, honesty, timeliness and clarity.  It also includes the ability to connect with people from  diverse backgrounds, values, perspectives and beliefs using cultural humility.  Palliative care communication is not just about talking. It is also about listening and being silent with people, providing your presence.  

In this course you will learn about the essentials of palliative care communication including openness, honesty, timeliness, clarity and cultural humility. You will also examine the importance of providing presence for patients and families with serious illness and at the end of life.


Course Content

  • 1

    Course Introduction

    • Course Welcome CC

    • Course Introduction
  • 2

    Section 1: Openness and Honesty in Communication

    • Openness and Honesty in Communication

    • Lecture: Communicating with Openness and Honesty CC

    • Section 1 Reflection Question

    • Resource: Reference 1. The Communication Experiences of Patients (link)

    • Resource: Reference 2. A 3-Stage Model of Communication in Emotional Distress (link)
  • 3

    Section 2: Timeliness and Clarity in Communication

    • Timeliness and Clarity in Communication

    • Lecture: Communication that is Timely and Clear CC

    • Case Scenario 2

    • Resource: Reference 3. Health Literacy (link)

    • Resource: Reference 4. Fact Sheet: Quick Guide to Health Literacy
  • 4

    Section 3: Cultural Humility in Communication

    • Cultural Humility in Communication

    • Lecture: Communicating with Cultural Humility and Appropriate Nonverbal Messages CC

    • Case Scenario 3

    • Case Scenario 3 Discussion

    • Resource: Reference 5. Cultural Humility: The Key to Patient/ Family Partnerships for Making Difficult Decisions (link)

    • Resource: Reference 6. Cultural Humility: A Concept Analysis (link)
  • 5

    Section 4: Mindful Presence: Being “With” Patients and Families

    • Mindful Presence: Being “With” Patients and Families

    • Lecture: Mindful Presence: Being “With” Patients and Families CC

    • Case Scenario 4

    • Case Scenario 4 Discussion

    • Resource: Reference 7. Mindful Presence: Being "With" in our Nursing Care (link)

    • Resource: Tom Roush Blog: Musings on Life, Lessons, and Laughter (link)
  • 6

    Summary

    • Course Summary CC

    • Course Summary Handout

    • Course references (PDF)

    • Ten Principles of Primary Palliative Care (Text)

    • Ten Principles of Primary Palliative Care Word Cloud (PDF)
  • 7

    Course Evaluation

    • Course Evaluation (Required)

About the instructor

Course Faculty

Beth Fahlberg

Beth Fahlberg BS, MN, PhD, RN, CHPN, AGPCNP-BC is a thought leader, educator, author and entrepreneur in advancing palliative care for heart failure patients, and primary palliative care nursing.  With other 30 years in nursing and 20 years in education, Beth's teaching style is engaging, empathetic and evidence-based, drawing on both professional expertise and personal experiences as a family caregiver. Her course content translates current evidence into practical nursing recommendations, having the learner apply couse content to realistic clinical patient care scenarios. Beth is currently teaching Fundamentals of Online Teaching for Health Professionals through the University of Wisconsin-Madison.