Primary Palliative Care for Every Nurse Practitioner

Abstract

The ability to provide primary palliative care is a skill set that nurse practitioners should acquire, develop, and refine. The relief of suffering--physical, emotional, and spiritual--leads to improved patient outcomes and higher patient satisfaction. Primary palliative care skills include thorough and effective symptom assessment and management, initiating and guiding conversations around advance care planning, and completing medical directives that guide care with life-limiting/life-threatening illness. In this study, multiple online resources are identified to provide easy access to learning opportunities and reference material to build skills.