Palliative Care McGill is partnering with Pallium Canada to kick off the National Grand Rounds, an innovative new way to facilitate information-sharing among national and international palliative care practitioners.
It is a series of ten accredited, free lectures featuring nationally and internationally recognized experts in the field of palliative care from across multiple disciplines. To reach as many people as possible, the National Grand Rounds is available both in-person and online (hybrid).
Conceiving the National Grand Rounds Initiative
The National Grand Rounds series was formed as a way to address a key issue in the field of palliative care: lack of access to quality information, new approaches, and strategies for addressing challenges in the field.
By implementing a hybrid format, the lectures can provide the latest information on research, innovation, and approaches to care to individuals and communities experiencing barriers to this knowledge.
“Typically, grand rounds are something that are kept within the walls of an institution for the clinicians that practice there,” remarks Dr. Justin Sanders, Chair of the National Grand Rounds. He adds that “this is really an opportunity to try to share knowledge more broadly and with audiences who may not typically have access to [this].” The series aims to keep practitioners from all over the world up to date and in the loop with the latest developments in the field.
An Innovative, Multidisciplinary Approach to Grand Rounds
This approach to information dissemination in the field of palliative care is the first of its kind, in terms of accessibility and diversity.
The series encompasses themes of developing resilience, grief management, the complexities of caregiving, and the latest strategies to address challenges in dealing with serious illness.
In furtherance of these themes, the National Grand Rounds speakers come from a wide variety of backgrounds; all having lived experiences within the umbrella of palliative care. It is accessible to viewers inside and outside of Canada. Additionally, each lecture is designed with interactivity in mind: all feature a Q&A section to address learners’ questions and impressions, whether they are watching from Montréal or Manchester.
When asked about what he hopes the series accomplishes, Dr. Sanders expressed, “I hope it pushes people to grow in ways that they’re not currently doing.” The decision to feature members of the palliative care community other than doctors and researchers was made to reflect the field’s multidisciplinary reality.
Just as Cicely Saunders addressed the multitudes of pain, Dr. Sanders argues that palliative care should recognize that there are multiples axes of relief and healing among patients with serious illness. He emphasizes that all those involved in and peripheral to the field of palliative care “each have innovations, skills and knowledge sets that help them participate in the care of people affected by serious illness.”
Dr. Stéfanie Gingras, Course Director for the National Grand Rounds, furthers this idea, stating that “this series of hybrid scientific presentations offers a unique opportunity to explore and cross-fertilize diverse knowledge about palliative care, a field in constant evolution. By bringing together complementary expertise and varied perspectives, it opens up avenues for reflection and practice.” This informs the ethos of the National Grand Rounds: any lecture series about palliative care should reflect its multifaceted nature.
The first lecture of the National Grand Rounds, delivered by Dr. Michael Kearney, was held on Tuesday, January 21, at 12:00 p.m. EST. Dr. Kearney’s talk, entitled “Palliative Care as a Place of Healing”, addressed the central role of healing in clinical practice and outlined a comprehensive model of self-care and the development of deep resilience. For more information and to register, visit our website.
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