Pre-Congress Courses

In response to popular demand, three pre-congress courses on different themes of significant interest have been scheduled.  The courses, lead by eminent International paediatric palliative care experts, will run simultaneously on the 19^th November 2014 from 8.30 to 13.00.

To participate in a pre-congress course you must sign up on the on-line congress registration page.
Participation in the pre-congress courses will be limited to a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 80 participants, places will be allocated on a first come first-served basis. Registration for the pre-congress courses closes on the 30^th October 2014.

Fees for Participants include:

• Attendance in the selected workshop
• Coffee break with refreshments

Pre congress course topics:	Duration	Course Directors	Cost until 15th June 2014	Cost from 16th June 2014
Pain Management	4hrs	Finella Craig & Boris Zernikow	€ 75	€120
Communication with the child and family	4hrs	Joan Marston & Barbara Sourkes	€ 75	€120
Team work in pediatric palliative care: challenges and opportunities	4hrs	Danai Papadatou & Myra Bluebond Langner	€ 75	€120

Pre-congress course I

Title: Pain Management in PPC
Date: 19th November 2014
Duration: Half day (08.30 -13.00)
Course Directors: Finella Craig & Boris Zernikow
Intended Audience: Physicians and nurses
Min Capacity: 30 pers.
Max Capacity: 80 pers.
Course Description: The case report based workshops will address pain in children with oncological and neurological life limiting conditions. In an interactive fashion the participants will learn how to assess pain in communicating and non-communicating patients, to write an appropriate pharmacological treatment plan, to calculate drug doses of non-opioids and opioids on a milligram per body weight basis, to deal with opioid switching and to handle adjuvant and supportive drugs. At least one case will focus on the problem of agitation in non-communicating children with severe developmental delay and one with neuropathic cancer pain.

Pre-congress course II

Title: Communication with the child and Family
Date: 19th November 2014
Duration: Half day (08.30 -13.00)
Course Directors: Joan Marston & Barbara Sourkes
Intended Audience: Professionals, family members and volunteers wishing to improve their ability to hold open and effective communication with children and families facing life-limiting illnesses.
Min Capacity: 30 pers.
Max Capacity: 80 pers.
Course Description:

Topics

• Facilitating open communication regarding illness and dying with children, adolescents and family members
• Working with different communication techniques –eg art, music, play

Learning objectives

At the end of the session the participants will have

• an understanding of ways that children and family members express their emotions, fears and uncertainties
• feel more comfortable to address questions and comments around illness and dying
• an understanding of different ways that children and adolescents communicate
• an ability to use art, music and play in communication

Teaching methodology
Combined presentation, discussion, participatory
Outcomes
Evaluation

Pre-congress course III

Title: Team work in pediatric palliative care: challenges and opportunities
Date: 19th November 2014
Duration: Half day  (08.30 -13.00)
Course Directors: Danai Papadatou & Myra Bluebond-Langner
Intended Audience:  Health care professionals (nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, child specialists, clergy, consultants, etc)
Min Capacity: 30 pers.
Max Capacity: 80 pers.

Course Description:  Purpose of this course is to provide participants with the opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding of how teams are affected by the care of children with a life-threatening ill, and how they manage the distress that is evoked by the care and death of their patients. Emphasis will be placed on how teams can promote a culture of care, of learning, and of collaboration that contibutes to their growth and resilience.

The learning objectives are the following:

(1)    to identify the functional and dysfuntional coping patterns that teams use to manage the suffering of their members

(2)    to explore conditions that enhance team resilience

(3)    to identify aspects of a team’s culture and subcultures

(4)    to explore how research can be integrated into clinical team practice

Methods of teaching include a didactic approach, discussion over case-studies, and reflective exercises that will provide participants with the opportunity to reflect on their team’s mode of operation. They will be invited to complete an evaluation form at the end of the course.