At BCCPC, “collaboration” is practically our middle name. No matter the project, initiative or research paper, you will find a host of people behind the scenes sharing their expertise. By gathering the experience, skill and insights from healthcare providers in a variety of disciplines, we can be confident that we are addressing emerging needs, reflecting best practices, and providing useful resources to community and healthcare providers in BC.
One example of the depth of expertise we rely on with these vital collaborations is our current update of the Pain Symptom Management Guideline (to be released in Fall 2025). The interprofessional guideline writing team, led by Della Roberts, Julia Ridley and Sue Bartnick, is comprised of clinicians experienced in palliative care. The team follows a standard process of reviewing evidence, writing drafts, seeking input from patient partners and clinician experts, and addressing their feedback. This process is repeated until there is a high degree of consensus amongst the expert reviewers and then the draft guideline is finalized and released. ( See the Acknowledgements section (p. 9-22) of the guidelines to see the large numbers and wide range of reviewers.)
We asked the writing team about their background, what motivated them to take part in this project, and how they benefited from the experience.
Holly Anderson, RN, BScN, CHPCN (C)
“I work as part of the Island Health Palliative and End of Life Program as a Palliative Care Nurse Consultant and work across the care continuum. I became a palliative care nurse consultant nine years ago, and before that I was a community hospice nurse and home care nurse.
I got involved with the Centre through Della Roberts, who I worked with at Island Health. Once my son started school, I had some capacity to add to the part-time clinical position I was already doing, and the flexible hours offered by BCCPC were ideal.
With a six-month contract, I was able to take part in the full guideline writing process, from end to end. I learned new software programs, reacquainted with literature searches and edited content based on expert feedback. The guideline work sharpened my skills in different ways than my clinical practice; and I have been able to use the information and knowledge I’ve gained with my clinical patients.
It’s been inspiring to work with other palliative care experts, and watch their process and decision making. I plan to work on future guidelines, or other work with the Centre. I recommend it highly.”
Dr. Sukaina Kara, MD, CCFP (Palliative Care)
“Since finishing my palliative care training in 2011, I have been working clinically in palliative care. Currently, I am a palliative care physician working in Ladner and Surrey. I have also managed a 10-bed hospice, seeing people in their homes and in Delta Hospital.
I got involved working with the Centre through Dr. Julia Ridley. I’ve been involved in the opioid prescribing and management in palliative care guideline, as well as the pain and dyspnea guidelines.
It’s been quite interesting to do this work, making sure the evidence is up-to-date and perfecting technical skills of writing. Watching the peer review process has also been something new to me.”
Kaitlyn Bloomberg, RN, MSN
“I’ve been in clinical practice for five years, four of which have been in palliative care, in both acute care settings and hospice care.
I worked on the guidelines as part of my contract work with the Centre, and was involved in literature reviews, editing, developing surveys to gather reviewer feedback, and then I compiled and analyzed the feedback.
It was helpful to see the process of developing and updating the guidelines – both through research and evidence from the literature, as well as through the integration of clinical expertise. Both helped to enhance my own clinical practice. I also appreciated how high the standards were to be considered a “best practice” (or recommended practice) for some of these symptoms or interventions.
Would I recommend getting involved in project work at the Centre or recommend it to a colleague? Yes and yes!”
