By Ami Bitschy
Three-quarters of British Columbians who die every year, do so without accessing adequate pain management, psychosocial support and advance care planning associated with palliative care. iPANEL research — for nurses by nurses — contributes to understanding how the nursing profession can help more people in BC benefit from palliative philosophies and services. With nurses offering a palliative approach in multiple settings (residential care facilities, general hospital wards and at home) more patients and families can be better supported through the many transitions of chronic conditions like dementia, lung, kidney, or heart disease and cancer.
By creating a cycle of nursing practice to nursing research and back again, iPANEL research will be informed by clinical practice, and all gathered evidence should be relevant, useful, and well-communicated to nurses and patients alike. This will take the support and cooperation of many parties including health professionals, employers and health care consumers, but it is the belief of the iPanel team that nurses can and will contribute to a better and more supported experience for British Columbians toward the end of their lives.
iPANEL is co-led by Kelli Stajduhar, Associate Professor, UVic School of Nursing/Centre on Aging and Carolyn Tayler, Director of End-of-Life Care, Fraser Health Authority. A truly provincial initiative, this research team includes 15 additional team members from a number of Health Authorities and Universities throughout British Columbia, including the Vancouver Island Health Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Interior Health Authority, Trinity Western University, UBC Okanagan and Thompsons River University. UVic School of Nursing faculty Gweneth Doane, Betty Davies and Anne Bruce are also iPANEL co-investigators. iPANEL was recently awarded a 4–year Michael Smith BCNRI Investigative Team Award; this funding started in January of 2011.
To follow the iPANEL research projects or to register with the iPANEL website (in order to receive updates and /or news related to iPANEL research), please go to www.ipanel.ca. If you would like more information about iPANEL or any of its associated research projects you may contact the project coordinator (Amy Bitschy) by email at info@ipanel.ca.
From 2011 Summer Communiqué
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