Grantee details

Traveling Scholars Program Report

Xiomara Carmona, RN

Travel date: April 14, 2016

Name of Meeting/Event/Activity: VIII Latin American Congress on Palliative Care

Origin: Medellin, Colombia / Destination: Mexico City, Mexico


How was this meeting/activity helpful to you?

This congress was very helpful to me in order I renew and strengthened my knowledge. At the same time, it was a very interesting opportunity to share information and knowledge with colleagues from Latin American.

How will you new knowledge & acquired skills help in furthering your work in hospice and palliative care in your program/city/ or country?

I have to multiply the knowledge to the people whom I work daily and the ones in process of formation in the areas of pain and palliative care. I will share the importance of developing pain and palliative care to offer better attention to the patients and their families.

How IAHPC Traveling Scholars Program be improved in order to help other future traveling scholars?

I’m very thankful with the IAHPC for the scholarship, the only thing I could suggest is to do a better diffusion of these benefit for more people to take advantage of them.

Narrative summary highlighting the needs and challanges you face

I think one of the most important challenges is to raise the awareness the health team about caring for people who are at the end of life. Understand that this is a stage that is the key family support, counseling patients and their caregivers for proper hospital-home transition. The main needs and challenges in Colombia are oriented towards: Generate training programs in palliative care from the universities. Develop continuous updating courses on topics such as pain and symptom management, medication management subcutaneously and addressing ethical aspects of family and caregivers. I think there is still much ignorance in pain management, use of opioids and other analgesics, management subcutaneously. It is necessary to consolidate programs in oncology palliative care in other chronic diseases and paediatrics. Consolidate collaborative work networks linking support staff, academia and business. Define common lines of research from focus groups and experts. Strengthen the publication of research results in Latin America. Explore qualitative research methods to facilitate the description of the experience for the patient and his family, meanings and process. Develop research projects in the area with funding from national and international agencies. To make international and national exchanges between academics and assistance through internships and short stays pairs. It is the first time I participate in events of the Latin American Association of palliative care. The experience brought me in aspects such as: 1) Know ongoing research projects and already completed in the area. 2) Identify national and international academic peers who work in the area of ​​palliative care. 3) Share experiences in the training of nurses in the area of ​​palliative care. 4) Expand symptom management knowledge, skills training for human resources and the ethical component among others.


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