Clinical Training Recommendations for All Clinicians Caring for Adult Patients with Serious Illness

All clinicians have the responsibility to improve outcomes and provide person-centered care for people with serious illness—but many have not received the necessary training.

Clinicians and health care organizations can use CAPC’s training recommendations as a skills-building roadmap. Based on guidance from the National Consensus Project’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, the recommendations cover four aspects of care:

1. Assessing the needs and concerns of patients
2. Strengthening the clinician-patient relationship and understanding care goals
3. Managing pain and symptoms
4. Preventing crises and helping patients plan ahead

• Physicians
• Advanced Practice Providers
• Registered Nurses
• Social Workers
• Chaplains
• Clinical Care Managers
• Home Health Aides and Certified Nursing Assistants
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Physical Therapists