Traveling Scholars Program Report
Willians Antonio Lopez Chacon, DR
Travel date: September 8, 2020
Name of Meeting/Event/Activity: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) Updates in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Intensive Physician Board Review Course
Origin: San Salvador, El Salvador / Destination: Houston, Texas, USA
How was this meeting/activity helpful to you?
It helped me to acquire new knowledge and updates about the approach to patients with advanced oncological and non-oncological diseases, as well as reinforcing the comprehensive approach to the patient and their families. It also helped me update information to support palliative care education in my country.
How will you new knowledge & acquired skills help in furthering your work in hospice and palliative care in your program/city/ or country?
Reinforcing and updating the continuing education program of Hospice La Cima in El Salvador.
A conference will be held with the hospice multidisciplinary team with updates on the comprehensive management of palliative patients.
How IAHPC Traveling Scholars Program be improved in order to help other future traveling scholars?
I believe that the best way that can be done is to continue providing support and accessibility to continuing education in palliative care training.
Narrative summary highlighting the needs and challanges you face
Currently in El Salvador there is palliative care at the 3 health levels.
There are 2 palliative care centers, Hospital Divina Providencia for approximately 60 years and Hospice La Cima for 1 year.
In the national health system, there are pain and palliative care units operating in the main referral hospitals.
In the area of education, there is a private university that has the subject of palliative medicine within its undergraduate medicine curriculum.
At the Hospice La Cima where I work, clinical care is developed, research programs in palliative care are promoted and developed as well as palliative care training programs in a comprehensive manner.
The barriers that currently exist are the lack of palliative care coverage for both patients and the little knowledge of the specialty in palliative care; Therefore, what I have learned will help me to be able to contribute both at a care and educational level to continue the development of palliative care in my country.