Enriching the Clinician EOL Experience
The implementation of the 3WP produced several benefits for clinicians as well by fostering collaboration and increasing job satisfaction. Since the 3WP incorporated multiple disciplines from spiritual care to social work, the project connected individuals who would not have originally worked together within the context of EOL care. A nurse reflected that, “what I valued the most out of it was the interdisciplinary teamwork. It’s not a project that is just for the nurses, or just for the doctors. It’s everybody who works at the hospital even beyond the ICU and the community…everybody just coming together to help the patients and the families together.” [P6 ] The project facilitated bonding within the unit as staff worked as a team towards a common goal of understanding what matters most to patients. Some observed an increase in nurse-physician collaboration in incorporating the 3WP in EOL care. Another nurse stated that, “I just valued the camaraderie of our unit sort of coming together and recognizing how pivotal this moment is in our patients’ lives.” [P10 ]
Many participants reported that the project was rewarding as it offered a larger sense of purpose. One participant explained that it “[felt] like you’re building something a bit bigger than yourself, you’re contributing to something.” [P4 ] The project allowed clinicians to connect and care for patients and families, when medical interventions may have become futile. A nurse shared that, “this is something tangible that you can do to give to people and feel like you are not just left without helping them in some capacity…this lets us help people but just in a different way.” [P6 ] Another nurse expressed, “it honestly made me feel proud to make change here in the ICU…proud of my coworkers, proud that we could get it up and running.” [P3 ] The adoption of this patient-centred project empowered clinicians with the resources to provide meaningful and quality EOL care, and reportedly improved job satisfaction.