2020; Volume 21, No 10, October
Dear Readers:
At IAHPC, October is members’ month, when we celebrate the support provided by individuals and institutions around the world by awarding prizes in two categories: one to recognize the loyalty of current members who have kept their membership active for at least three consecutive years, and the other to celebrate those who encourage and invite others to join.
See the News section for details, including eligibility, prizes, and the cutoff date. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity, and keep supporting IAHPC and our mission to promote and advance palliative care globally.
Saturday, October 10, is World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, an awareness campaign coordinated by the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) with the support of the global palliative care community. This year’s theme is “Palliative Care: ‘My Care, My Comfort.’” People from around the world who have been impacted by serious health-related suffering — either personally or by supporting a loved one — will be making their voices heard. This year’s theme aims to communicate that the public can demand palliative care, and that — together — every person and their family affected by serious health-related suffering can influence their policy makers to prioritize palliative care financing as an essential component of Universal Health Coverage.
Many organizations throughout the world are planning celebrations to increase awareness among lay people, governments, and patients that palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and families, and that appropriate policies and funding mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure access to palliative care to those in need. Board member Dr. Felicia Knaul and Advocacy Officer Katherine Pettus will be participating in the “Inaugural U.S. World Hospice & Palliative Care Day Celebration: A Virtual Coming Together.” See the News section for details.
More on World Hospice Palliative Care Day’s initiatives taking place around the world, photos, and resources can be found on the WHPCA website.
And, last but not least, we recently announced — and invited our members to participate in — a new project: the Global Palliative Care Database of palliative care (PC) services.
The project’s objectives are to:
- provide demographic and epidemiological information about patients at the time when PC was initiated (either by a PC specialist, another specialist, or a generalist);
- identify the prevalent symptoms at the time of the initial palliative care consultation;
- identify the therapeutic interventions recommended for the treatment and management of the symptoms identified in the consultation; and
- analyze similarities and differences and prepare a report for publication.
The database will allow researchers to compare reasons and times for referral to PC services, as well as referrals to other disciplines. The system records the presence or absence of components, including human resources, listed in the “essential package of palliative care and pain relief health services” developed by the Lancet Commission report on global access to palliative care and pain relief and included as Appendix 3 in the updated WHO guidance on Clinical Management of COVID-19. All IAHPC members are encouraged to participate.
To learn more, or to find out how to enroll in this project read the announcement. We hope you will take part!
Until next month,
Lukas Radbruch, MD
Chair Board of Directors
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director
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