McAlhaney_500
Maureen McAlhaney
Physician
Specialty: Palliative Care
Location: Kenya
Mission Work

My current ministry assignment is working with the Palliative Care Department at Kijabe Hospital as a data and research officer. My responsibilities are:

a) Complete data entry, analyses, and reports of sufficient quality and reliability to enable Palliative Care to do meaningful audits, generate helpful reports, make continuous quality improvements, partner effectively with stakeholders, and present occasionally at national and international palliative care conferences.

b)    Develop and implement Monitoring and Evaluation, and Quality Improvement processes including utilization of an appropriate Palliative Outcome Scale (POS).

c)     Develop, implement and analyze patient and family satisfaction survey tools.

d)    Harmonize the Palliative Care Unit’s draft strategic plan with the hospital’s Strategic Plan to ensure congruence.

e)    Monitor and periodically report on the Unit’s Strategic Plan performance once it has been approved by Senior Hospital Management.

f)      Develop appropriate patient and family education materials for Palliative Care use.

g)    Assist as needed with palliative procedures.

h)    Perform any other relevant duties that may from time to time be assigned.

Our staff educates and encourages patients and their families as they face terminal illness, whether it is a disability, a medical condition, or cancer. We help make their transition from hospital to home, follow up on patients' symptoms and conditions, and prescribe medications and treatments as needed. We also have support groups for bereavement, breast cancer, and prostate cancer support groups where we can educate our patients and their families as well to encourage one another. We address their spiritual needs in addition to their physical, social, emotional, psychological, and financial needs.

Spiritual Outreach

The Gospel is shared indirectly through patient visits and during support groups.