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University of Colorado System

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care provides invaluable help for patients living with serious or life-limiting illness and their family caregivers. Palliative care should be part of healthcare services to improve quality of life, the ability to tolerate and benefit from treatment and improve survival. In this course, you will learn about the nature of suffering and how this concept can help you understand the experience of people living with serious illness. Next, you will learn skills to more effectively communicate with patients, families and other care providers to both understand their experiences and provide an extra layer of support. In the next module you will explore your own core values and beliefs and how they impact your work with others. Finally, you will learn how to do a whole person assessment to understand the needs of people with serious illness so you can develop a plan to support them. You will be able to immediately use these insights, skills and tools in your work with people living with serious illness. In later courses, you will learn to ease pain and other symptoms, such as loss of appetite, shortness of breath and fatigue. In the final course, you will explore ways to ease psycho-social-spiritual distress. These courses will prepare you to bring basic palliative care to all in need.

Status: Self-Awareness
Status: Health Assessment
BeginnerCourse17 hours

Featured reviews

HC

4.0Reviewed Apr 10, 2023

This coarse was fantastic! Very informative and teaches skills that will definitely help in working with person(s) with serious illness. Thank you!

CM

5.0Reviewed Oct 1, 2020

this was an excellent program i do belive there was a lot of work associated with the this and therefoe i believe that this coures should be accredited.

BP

5.0Reviewed Apr 22, 2023

Excellent coverage of foundational information. Some technical issues with tests

DL

5.0Reviewed Mar 31, 2019

Course was well presented and was informative. I would recommend.

AK

5.0Reviewed Oct 23, 2020

This was very helpful short cause for me to improve and polish my knowledge.thank you very much coursera.

RG

5.0Reviewed Aug 14, 2020

I could use some of the basic principles immediately in my regular practice of Neurology

TS

5.0Reviewed May 10, 2020

it was a very informative course and it helped me better understand how to deal with patients in end-of-life situations.

SC

5.0Reviewed Dec 2, 2020

Great course. You can learn many aspects of Palliative care in a short time

DM

5.0Reviewed Feb 25, 2020

An amazing course. I have been learned a lot through this journey. Highly recommended!!!

CO

5.0Reviewed Jun 29, 2020

I loved all the information, videos and resources presented.

K

5.0Reviewed Jan 12, 2026

A conscise, thoughtful introduction into the overview of responsibilities as well as the art of End-of-life care.

TT

5.0Reviewed Sep 10, 2019

I thank you all for the impressive course. Hope to come more such deep and comprehensive practical learning.

All reviews

Showing: 20 of 74

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