iPACE (Integrating a Palliative Approach by Having Conversations Early)

Regional End of Life, Vancouver Coastal Health

iPACE, led by Vancouver Coastal Health’s (VCH) End of Life Program, seeks to improve the quality of end-of-life care by supporting caregivers to align care plans with the wishes and values of people, and ensure those wishes are communicated with family members and care teams.

The iPACE team provides on-site education, coaching and mentoring to health care staff across disciplines and care settings who have not traditionally been trained in a palliative, or end-of-life, approach to care. Staff are encouraged to have early conversations with people who have a serious illness and may benefit from a palliative approach to their care, and learn how to document the conversations so that their wishes are respected.

Since its launch in 2017, the iPACE team has delivered 835 education sessions to 3,486 staff across VCH and has provided additional support and training to 314 champions across community and acute care settings. Staff who received training report increased confi dence in having “goals of care” conversations, with a documented increase from 14 new conversations per month to 100.

For recognizing that a culture shift was necessary to support staff in having critical conversations, Vancouver Coastal Health’s iPACE project has been awarded the Dianna Mah-Jones Award of Excellence in Person-Centred Care Gold Apple.

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