Background:

Palliative care has been recognized as an essential component of a humanitarian response; however, it remains unavailable in most humanitarian crisis settings. Globally, healthcare workforce capacity represents a major barrier to implementing children’s palliative care, and there is limited evidence to guide educators on the learning needs and preferences of healthcare professionals working in humanitarian settings.

Objective:

The primary objective of this study was to explore the extent of training, experience, and confidence in children’s palliative care among healthcare professionals working in humanitarian settings. Secondary objectives were to identify perceived educational needs, including priority learning topics and preferred methods of palliative care education.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals with experience working in humanitarian settings. The survey assessed participants’ self-reported knowledge, confidence, attitudes, prior training experiences, and learning preferences related to children’s palliative care.

Results:

One hundred thirty four healthcare professionals participated, including nurses (37%), physicians (17%), and clinical officers (15%). Most participants provided clinical care (n = 82, 64%) and were locally recruited staff (83%). More than 70% of respondents reported having some palliative care training, either during their professional training (n = 52) or through continuing medical education (n = 41). Despite this, many participants reported discomfort with key palliative care situations, including forming a therapeutic relationship with families of dying children (61%) and discussing impending death with parents (61%). Nearly all respondents (98%) expressed interest in further training, with preferred learning modalities including online teaching sessions and web-based certificate courses.

Conclusions:

There is strong interest and awareness for children’s palliative care training amongst humanitarian healthcare professionals. Despite prior exposure to palliative care education, many participants report limited confidence and skill in providing children’s palliative care, particularly in communication and psychosocial domains. Health educators should consider developing online training programs on children’s palliative care to meet the educational needs of healthcare professionals in humanitarian settings.