Traveling Scholars Program Report
Vanesa Rocio Orellana Caro, DR
Travel date: March 6, 2024
Name of Meeting/Event/Activity: XI Congreso Latino Americano de Cuidados Paliativos
Origin: La Paz, Bolivia / Destination: Cartagena, Colombia
How will you new knowledge & acquired skills help in furthering your work in hospice and palliative care in your program/city/ or country?
I would like to promote research in Bioethics and palliative care in my country, on topics such as hospital bioethics committees, informed consent, health relations, end of life, among others.
We are currently forming a Bioethics team in palliative care with excellent professionals from different countries such as Mexico, Uruguay, El Salvador, Chile and Bolivia, with academic activities, research and advice. We are even part of the speakers in workshops and round tables at the current ALCP congress, where we met more people interested in being part of the palliative care bioethics commission
How IAHPC Traveling Scholars Program be improved in order to help other future traveling scholars?
I consider that the entire process of selecting scholarship recipients is appropriate and I appreciate the opportunity they gave me to attend the XI Congress of the Latin American Association for Palliative Care ALCP, in Cartagena Colombia
What were the three main takeaways from this conference/event
a. strengthen collaboration between the different national palliative care associations for access to opioid medications and services.
b. promote research in palliative care and obtain data on the situation of palliative care in each Latin American country
c. Primary focus on vulnerable populations in need of palliative care
Did you attend a session or workshop on advocacy? If yes, how do plan to build or improve collaborative relationships with your current government officials?
The Bioethical Methodology workshop and its application in the resolution of clinical cases, which was organized by the Bioethics Commission because I am pleased to be part of it and its main importance is the uncertainty that exists among health personnel in the face of bioethical dilemmas that arise. especially at the end of life. In addition, another limitation is the legislation of each country, which can affect the dignified treatment of the suffering patient.
Did you attend a session or workshop on improving availability and access to medicines for palliative care? If yes, describe how you plan to improve the availability and safe and rational use of medicines in palliative care in your institution, city, or country
It is important to train medical colleagues on proper pain management. Organize meetings with civil society, representatives of the Ministry of Health and other involved organizations, to determine a balance between the availability of opioids for pain relief and national drug control policies.
It is a good option to invite international experts in palliative care so that they can share their experiences on their health policies related to access to opioids for medical purposes.
Did you attend a session or workshop on education in palliative care? If applicable, describe how you plan to enact changes to curricula in your academic institution
It is important to meet with representatives of civil society such as patient associations and with the authorities so that they understand the need to alleviate suffering, for this reason a palliative care project should be proposed in the hospital with rotation of residents from different specialties, in addition to organize meetings with other palliative care specialist colleagues to create updates to guides, manuals, and palliative care care protocols
Did you attend any sessions or workshops on research in palliative care? If so, describe ways you will enact what you learned in your research projects
In Bolivia there is little scientific evidence on palliative care and the work done by palliative care is admirable, for this reason one of the pillars of palliative medicine must include research because it is a way to demonstrate the good results that are obtained when it comes to relief of suffering, respect for the dignity of people, a good doctor-patient relationship, and humanized care and for this we need training in research, bioethics, only then will it have social value, scientific validity, with a favorable benefit-risk ratio respecting the people throughout the research process. In that sense, I am starting to teach research and Bioethics to postgraduate medical personnel interested in palliative care.
Did you submit an abstract for a poster and/or an oral presentation and if so was/were they accepted? What was/were the title(s)?
Care strategies of a palliative medicine unit in a third level public hospital in Bolivia, June to December 2019 (master's thesis)
The best experience is the contribution we make to our countries in research topics and it is the best tool we have to demonstrate the importance of implementing palliative care.