What's New?
World AIDS Day – from the WHO Regional Office for Europe
“On the occasion of the World AIDS Day, the WHO Regional Office for Europe has the pleasure to inform you that we have released eleven out of a total of thirteen European Clinical Protocols for HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care. They include the following:
1/ Patient evaluation and Antiretroviral treatment for Adults and Adolescents
2/ Management of Opportunistic Infections and General Symptoms of HIV/AIDS
3/ Palliative Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS
4/ Management of Tuberculosis and HIV Co-infection
5/ HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care for Injecting Drug Users
6/ Management of Hepatitis C and HIV Co-infection
7/ Management of Hepatitis B and HIV Co-infection
8/ Prevention of Hepatitis A, B, C and other Hepatotoxic Factors in People Living with HIV/AIDS
9/ Support for Sexual and Reproductive Health in People Living with HIV/AIDS
10/ Prevention of HIV Transmission from HIV Infected Mothers to their Infants
11/ Paediatric HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care (forthcoming)
12/ Immunization of People Living with HIV/AIDS and People at Risk of HIV Infection
13/ Post Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Infection (forthcoming)
All the Protocols can be accessed and downloaded at http://www.euro.who.int/eprise/main/WHO/Progs/SHA/treatment/20060801_1
Also, we have released this morning the report from a technical consultation on the Criminalization of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections held in Copenhagen on 16 October 2006 . The Report from WHO/Europe outlines concerns on the criminalization of cases of HIV/AIDS exposure or transmission. The report follows a consultation with stakeholders committed to preventing and controlling the further spread of HIV/AIDS while respecting human rights:
http://www.euro.who.int/Document/SHA/crimconsultation_latest.pdf
The press release from WHO EURO on the occasion of the World AIDS Day 2006 is available at: http://www.euro.who.int/mediacentre/PR/2006/20061129_1
Jeffrey V. Lazarus
WHO/Europe STI/HIV/AIDS Programme
Tel: (+45) 39 17 13 41
www.euro.who.int/aids “
Do Opioids Hasten Death?
For Immediate Release :
December 13, 2006
From the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
www.nhpco.org
“ New Study Helps Dispel Myth That Opioids Hasten Death
Contact: Jon Radulovic, NHPCO VP of Communications.
Ph: 703-837-3139 or [email protected]
(Alexandria, Va) – The belief that the administration of opioids (including morphine) hastens death can be a significant barrier to effective pain management for dying patients reports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. A new study appearing in the December issue of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management suggests that the timing of death among patients with advanced illness involves a complex interplay of variables and that effective opioid use actually poses little risk of hastened death.
This article, "Opioid Use and Survival at the End of Life: A Survey of a Hospice Population," can be downloaded from NHPCO's Web site.
Under treatment of pain is a far more pressing concern than is the risk of hastened death in those with advanced disease. Available research indicates that physicians should be encouraged to use opioids effectively to relieve suffering at the end of life.
This study examined outcomes of 725 hospice patients who were receiving opioids and had at least one change in dose prior to death. The study looked at both the total daily amount of opioid given and the changes in dose on the timing of death. Opioid dosing explained little of the variation in survival time among these patients.
In a hospice population, survival is influenced by complex factors, many of which may not be measurable.
The study concluded that concern about hastening death does not justify withholding opioid therapy.
“Most clinicians understand the value of using opioids to relieve suffering at the end of life but fear of hastening the death of seriously ill persons contributes to unnecessary suffering,” said Stephen Connor, vice president of research and international development for NHPCO and a co-author of the study. “This study reassures clinicians that their effective use of opioids in the seriously ill will not hasten death and will lead to better quality care. We all want to be kept comfortable and pain free at the end of our lives”.
Extensive data pertaining to clinical outcomes during end-of-life were collected as part of the National Hospice Outcomes Project, a prospective longitudinal study of patients admitted to hospice programs, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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Editor’s Note: Stephen Connor, PhD, is available for comment.
Contact Jon Radulovic at NHPCO.
NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States . NHPCO’s mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life.
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1700 Diagonal Road Suite 625 Alexandria, VA 22314
703/837-1500 703/837-1233 (fax) www.nhpco.org ” |
Country Profiles on Opioid Availability Now Available
The Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG) announces enhancements to the international section of its website that may be useful for individuals and organizations interested in improving availability and access to essential opioid medications.
The PPSG website (www.painpolicy.wisc.edu) now offers Country Profiles that provide standardized information about opioid availability and key policy-related indicators for every country in the world. Each Country Profile contains graphs that portray the trend in reported national consumption of principal opioids as an indicator of opioid availability. Key policy-related indicators are provided, including whether the country is a Party to the international conventions which require governments to estimate their medical requirements for opioids and to report consumption statistics to the International Narcotics Control Board. Information on how to contact the national Competent Authority, which is responsible for administering these important government functions that supports opioid availability is provided, as well as access to the WHO Guidelines, "Achieving Balance in National Opioids Control Policy: Guidelines for Assessment (2000)" now available in 22 languages. Links to national resource documents regarding opioid availability for pain relief and palliative care will be added as the PPSG learns about them.
Additional enhancements are being developed and will be announced here. Suggestions for national resource documents are welcome. The Country Profiles can be accessed directly at
http://www.painpolicy.wisc.edu/internat/countryprofiles.htm or from the PPSG home page.
Jody Garthwaite
Communications Coordinator
David Joranson
Director
Karen Ryan
Associate Director for International Policy Research
Pain & Policy Studies Group
University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center
World Health Organization Collaborating Center
406 Science Drive, Suite 202 Madison , WI 53711-1068
ph.: 608.263.7662 fax: 608.263.0259 website: www.painpolicy.wisc.edu
Kudos – International Observatory on End of Life Care
Dear friends
I thought you would be interested in the following piece of information about the website of the International Observatory on End of Life Care.
Kind regards,
David
It has been brought to our attention by the Institute of Development Studies, based at the University of Sussex, that our website has been listed in a new guide, "A Good Place to Start", published by IDS Knowledge Services.
This guide has been created to help people who are unfamiliar with internet searches on development themes and is particularly directed at development organisations in low and middle-income countries, although it could very much be considered an excellent resource for our own researchers.
It is a tribute to the many contributors of our web pages that the Observatory is one of five highly-rated information resources under the category of Health.
A PDF version can be downloaded from the following link:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/info/docs/Good%20place%20to%20start.v14.pdf
For more information about IDS, see http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/info/
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