Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Information and Communication with Patient and Family
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Introduction
The course aims to provide students with skills in communicating bad news to both patients and family members. It reviews the need for a good diagnosis of the family situation in order to communicate successfully with all types of family styles and gives the keys to communicate effectively with particularly vulnerable populations and in crisis scenarios.
Pre-course requirements
It is not necessary to have taken any other subject of the master's degree, although it is advisable to have taken the subject ‘Fundamentals of palliative care and anthropology of death’.
Objectives
● To train students in the Palliative Care (PC) model based on multidimensional care through interdisciplinary teamwork.
● To provide students with the development of skills, knowledge and methods of team intervention for the adequate detection and relief of suffering through the clinical control of symptoms, emotional, social and spiritual needs in advanced situations and their families, respectively according to their professional profile.
● To offer students the necessary tools to have an interdisciplinary vision of the end-of-life situation.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN05 - Acquire knowledge in the management of complex end-of-life situations including the wish to bring forward death and considering all dimensions of the patient
- CP01 - Work in a self-directed or autonomous manner in PC teams, formed by peers, specialists or not, and other professionals, respecting the fundamental rights of equality between men and women, the promotion of human rights and the values of a culture of peace and democratic values; using language that avoids androcentrism and stereotypes.
- CP05 - Work individually and in teams, assuming responsibilities, within the area of PC.
- CP09 - pply solutions to problems that may arise when carrying out tasks in the field of PCs.
- HB01 - Make a critical reflection on the theory and its applications in the care of the patient at the end of life
- HB03 - Integrate multidimensional care to the problems of patients in advanced illness.
- HB04 - Analyse complex problems in the care area with a multidimensional vision in order to solve them in a tactical and strategic manner.
- HB05 - Demonstrate capacity for interdisciplinary collaborative teamwork in palliative care.
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
2.3 Identify the information needs of patients and families.
Syllabus
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Generalities in communication.
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Bad news communication techniques.
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Communication with families: diagnosis, communication style, tools applicable to complex situations.
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Communication in difficult situations: especially vulnerable populations and crisis situations.
Teaching and learning activities
Online
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Lectures with the main core of theoretical knowledge of the subject.
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Viewing and analysis of videos with paradigmatic clinical situations.
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Reading and analysis of selected texts and articles.
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Resolution of activities such as clinical cases, questionnaires and reflections.
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Active participation in the subject's forum, organised by the teaching team.
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Active participation in the synchronous session of the subject.
Evaluation systems and criteria
Online
This master's degree is based on continuous assessment.
Continuous assessment activities: participation in individual and group tutorials of at least 50% (minimum) will be required to ensure synchronous participation with the teaching staff in asynchronous activities.
Below are some examples of continuous assessment activities:
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Asynchronous activities (70% of the qualification).
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Delivery of the resolution of cases either in written form or through a video where the student will explain how to solve the case. It assesses the student's ability to apply the theoretical content learned to a real or simulated situation in the practice of the clinical profession.
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Analysis of selected texts and articles.
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Completion of questionnaires on the subject matter covered.
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Participation in discussion forums and wikis: the degree of active participation of students in their own learning is assessed.
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Synchronous activities (30% of the grade)
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Active participation in the synchronous session of the subject: In the case of students from different time zones, the time will be agreed in advance so that they can adapt. In any case, no student will be allowed to participate after 22h in their own time zone.
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Possibility of face-to-face discussion activities with the tutor, individual and group tutorials.
Bibliography and resources
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Baile, W. F., Buckman, R., Lenzi, R., Glober, G., Beale, E. A., & Kudelka, A. P. (2000). SPIKES-A six-step protocol for delivering bad news: application to the patient with cancer. The oncologist, 5(4), 302–311. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.5-4-302.
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Mercè Riquelme Olivares. (2017). L’acompanyament a persones malaltes i els seus familiars en processos de final de vida. Revista de Treball Social, 210, 54-68.
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Julià-Torras, J., & Serrano-Bermúdez, G. (2019). Manual de Control de Síntomas en pacientes con cáncer. (4ª ed.). Arán Ediciones, S.L.
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Toro-Pérez, D., Limonero, J. T., Guillen, M., Bolancé, C., Vilarrubí, S., & Camprodon-Rosanas, E. (2023). Evaluating quality of life in pediatric palliative care: a cross-sectional analysis of children's and parents' perspectives. European Journal of Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-023-05330-4.
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Mahendiran M., Yeung H, Rossi S., Khosravani H., & Perri G-A. (2023). Evaluating the Effectiveness of the SPIKES Model to Break Bad News – A Systematic Review. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 40(11),1231-1260. https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091221146296.