Ensuring Clarity
Although providing a marketing protocol emphasizing the positive aspects
of a program is imperative, it is also necessary to assure adequate
education regarding the proposed innovative program is provided. The
IPCP program required that physicians from several specialties refer to
the program; as a result, barriers in referring patients arose due to a lack
of clarity about the program in terms of knowledge and understanding
of its goals and boundaries. This presented challenges to its dissemination
both initially and over the life of the dissemination process of the
project. Some clinicians felt that despite the initial training in palliative
care and ongoing support encouraging continued referral of patient,