Grantee details

Traveling Scholars Program Report

Edier Mauricio Arias Rojas, Mr.

Travel date: April 14, 2016

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

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


How was this meeting/activity helpful to you?

The event was beneficial for me because it allowed me to meet colleagues working in Latin America for patients in palliative care, also let me know the current research in nursing in palliative care in Latin America.

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

I am currently conducting research around the process of hospital discharge in patients and family caregivers, this experience and knowledge acquired at the conference will allow me to compare my research project not only with what happens in the Colombian context, but also with what happens in Latin America, since the conditions and context of health in the countries of the region are very similar. Alliances and contacts made will allow me to have regarding nursing in palliative care in Latin America and may serve to be peer evaluators or consultants in the development of my current project and other future projects. Finally, the acquisition of new knowledge will allow me to spread with my coworkers and classmates this new knowledge.

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

I think the scholarship and the conditions for applying are unbeatable

Narrative summary highlighting the needs and challanges you face

Palliative care in the Latin American context has many needs improvement. It is known that palliative care units and care teams are scarce, this leads to that often palliative care not provide the best way to patients and families. Because of this lack of equipment to support patients and their families, born a problematic and is patient care during their last days of life at home. To do this, a qualified caregiver who knows the symptom management and assistance in activities of daily life of the patient is needed. However, caregivers and patients when they are discharged, go home without adequate preparation for care. This problem requires the preparation of family caregiver by interdisciplinary care teams prior to hospital discharge. According to the contributions that Latin American Congress hospice did, now you can see that through the joint and multisectoral work it is possible to publicize such problems to government agencies for help and resources to make patient care palliative care is better every day.


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