There is an increasing awareness that all health professionals in all practice settings have a role to play in palliative care. However, as the largest health professional workforce, and faced with increasing demand for care at the end of life and limited availability of specialist- services, nurses will need to ensure that they have appropriate levels of knowledge and skills in palliative care. For many, this will be taken on as part of on the job training and as a natural extension of their clinical expertise. For others specific education and training may be required. 

Given the significance of this workforce, it is critical that nurses have access to appropriate evidence, resources, and tools to guide their practice in the form of a fit-for-purpose Nurses Hub. A CareSearch priority project was undertaken to develop this resource based on a collaborative approach with nurses from across care settings to ensure it is fit for purpose.  The aim was to develop a resource that assists nurses with different training backgrounds and levels of experience take on a role in palliative care.

 Beginning with a rapid review of the literature and presentation of our findings to a broad cohort of nurses, the project sought to first establish the common areas of end of life care activity and what support was needed. We then worked with a steering committee of experienced nurses to revise the Nurses Hub in line with current best evidence. The input of the clinically active nurse in the steering committee and the topic review groups were critical in shaping the content development and its utility for end-users. Since its release in October 2022, over 56,000 visits have been made. 

This project demonstrates the importance of collaborative processes including a co-design workshop in the development of evidence-based resources for health professionals.