Teaching Palliative Care to Occupational Therapy Students: Development of Learning Resources

Abstract

This project commenced when a team within the Division of Occupational Therapy at the University of Queensland, Australia, received funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA) through the Palliative Care for Undergraduates (PCC4U) project, to develop teaching resources to support the education of occupational therapy students in the field of palliative care.The project sought to develop a problem-based learning resource incorporating case studies and a powerpoint presentation. It was envisaged that this resource could then be employed in a range of teaching situations including didactic teaching and problem-based learning approaches (e.g. asking student to develop a comprehensive OT care plan in pallaitive care; team problem solving). The opportunity to provide an inter-professional education component where students are required to consider the roles of multiple professionals in the field was also recognised. The portability of resources to ensure use of the information by occupational therapy schools regardless of geographic location was a fundamental consideration.