2020; Volume 21, No 1, January
Message from the Chair and Executive Director
Dear Readers:
As we write this message, when the year is coming to an end and a new year is approaching, we take time to reflect upon the many blessings we enjoy: our members, colleagues, directors, donors, and friends, as well as the countless patients and families around the globe who we have had the privilege to serve. It is in this spirit that we say thank you for your support, which enabled us to progress advancing our mission.
During the month of December, we received many donations from individuals who gave funds to IAHPC in memory of a friend or loved one as a gesture of gratitude for the care that they received from hospice and palliative care providers. Many thanks for your encouragement, support, and help. These donations are very important to the organization as they reflect how much impact we are really having at the level that matters most — patients and families.
We appreciate the confidence that all of our donors, members, and readers have placed in us and in our work. We will strive to be better each day and look forward to working with you in 2020. We hope that this New Year brings happiness, peace, and health to you and your loved ones.
A change in member benefits
will help fund new programs
On December 31, 2019, we announced a significant change in membership benefits. Providing and enabling access to evidence-based information and helping the dissemination of appropriate knowledge to improve patient care and relieve serious-health related suffering is one of our priorities. However, after careful analysis of the usage and cost effectiveness of access to the CINAHL database, the board decided to remove this benefit.
Funds freed up by this decision will be used to enrich the Traveling Scholars and Traveling Fellowships programs, as well as new programs that will be announced in the near future.
Our decision was based on several reasons, including:
- EBSCO (owner of the CINAHL database) has consistently increased the annual price that they charge to the IAHPC at a rate of 7% per year, which is quite onerous, and represents a significant amount of funds that we can use to support other programs.
- Our analysis of users showed that that most are located in three high-income countries, where many already have access through their university or institution.
- Researchers are increasingly using other platforms to access articles at no cost.
Additional information on our analysis for this decision and what we plan to offer to our members can be found here.
Until next month,
Lukas Radbruch, MD
Chair, Board of Directors
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director
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