# The Last Aid Course Professional as a Low-Threshold Opportunity for Professionals from Health and Social Care to Talk About Dying, Death and Grief and to Learn the Foundations of Palliative Care—A Mixed-Methods Study

## TL;DR

This study evaluates a professional training course on palliative care that helps health and social care workers discuss dying, death, and grief.

## Contribution

The study introduces and evaluates a new 10-hour Last Aid Course Professional (LACP) tailored for health and social care professionals.

## Key findings

- 84% of participants found the LACP useful for professionals in health and social care.
- Participants appreciated interprofessional exchange and perspective changes in palliative care.
- Lack of staff was identified as the main barrier to participating in the LACP.

## Abstract

Background: Last Aid Courses (LACs) for the public aim to enhance the public discussion about dying, death and grief and to increase the awareness for palliative care throughout the whole society. Based on the wishes and needs of professionals from health and social care and results from previous studies on LACs, a longer Last Aid Course Professional (LACP) was developed. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the experiences and views of course participants and instructors on the Last Aid Course Professional (LACP) with ten teaching hours including the foundations of palliative care based on the storyline method. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used including qualitative and quantitative data from a questionnaire for LACP participants and focus group interviews of LACP instructors. Results: A total of 394 of the 422 participants participated in the study by returning a questionnaire (response rate 93%). The age ranged from 21 to 81 years (median 45 years). In addition, 14 instructors participated in two focus group interviews. The results from the questionnaires showed that 84% of all participants assess the course as useful for all professionals working in health and social care. The qualitative data show that the LACP was well accepted by different organizations and participants from different professions. The participants welcome the opportunity for interprofessional exchange and the possibility for a change in perspective, as well as getting insight from different perspectives, reflecting on ethical challenges, and working on different options for action in palliative care. Lack of staff was the main barrier for participation in the LACP. Conclusions: The LACP is very well accepted by the participants and is a good option for palliative care education for professionals from health and social care.