Community and Palliative Care Nurses, in collaboration with the Research and Effectiveness department, looked at potential communication barriers among healthcare professionals, families, and caregivers during end-of-life care.

 

One of the main issues was that when healthcare professionals were explaining what to expect during the last days of life, they did so through discussion only, which families and carers were often unable to understand, or recall when left alone.

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The aim was to develop a tool that bridged these gaps in knowledge, was easy to understand, and promoted two-way communication.

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So the tool (the booklet) was created, and developed using three learning models:

• VARK (visual/aural/read/kinesthetic)

• Scaffolding

• Dual Coding

 

Tailoring communication using these three models ensures a more inclusive approach by taking into consideration the different learning styles of families and carers.