Veterans Affairs Nationwide Palliative Care Network

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The concept of the Veterans Affairs Palliative Care Network (PCN) is to create opportunities for a practice-relevant, problem-based virtual asynchronous learning network specifically tailored towards VA providers caring for veterans at the end of life. This online learning network will facilitate equitable distributions of exchange of information, foster communication and collaboration between and amongst health care professionals, palliative care researchers and educators in the VA system, through Internet technology. The PCN is intended for use by key stakeholders, educators and trainees in end-of-life care. Access will be facilitated through a portal, which will be housed within the VA wide web links to local, state and national education recourses and databases including (but not limited to) MEDLINE and MEDLINEPLUS. As the PCN portal will be on the VA computer network system, it will be available to providers at their workstations and will be accessible all the time. The PCN web address and some of the key content will be sent to VA providers as periodic intra-office email in the form of an electronic newsletter. An interactive, VA specific, Internet based palliative care curriculum and training material will be developed. Print a web-based resources will be developed and current VA end-of-life care resources will be expanded. Practice and evaluation tests will also be developed and be available online. Automatic analysis of the PCN activity will be done via a browser-based interface with the goal of improving the effectiveness of the portal. The usability of the PCN will also be formally studied using semi-structured online surveys.