2020; Volume 22, No 1, January

Photo credit: S. Hermann and F. Richter, Pixabay

Table of Contents

• Message from the Chair and Executive Director  Hot off the press! Publication of the Palliative Care and COVID-19 Series Briefing Notes Compilation. Also, a reminder that members can access (and contribute to) the Global Palliative Care Database for free.
• From the Editor  Luck? Good timing? One heartfelt letter may have improved palliative care in a Canadian long-term care residence.
• Policy and Advocacy  Dr. Katherine Pettus reports on the end-of-year Commission on Narcotic Drugs session, an organizing meeting for the Western Pacific region, a board member’s video at the UN, and preparations for the 148^th meeting of the WHO Executive Board.
• Guest Advocacy column  Dr. Chamath Fernando on palliative care training being developed for primary care physicians in Sri Lanka.
• IAHPC News & Calendar
  • December fundraising results
  • GLAD on hold; watch for an update in 2021
  • Reader Recommended: 2 must-read books
  • New Terms in Pallipedia  COVID-19 and telehealth terminology predominate
  • New Listings in IAHPC Calendar of Events
• Featured Story  Julia Downing’s personal reflections on palliative care during COVID-19.
• IAHPC Book Reviews

  Palliative Care Book of the Month

  PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE AND EUTHANASIA: Before, During, and After the Holocaust  Both outstanding and disturbing, the best book I have seen on this topic and the best to have crossed my desk in 2020.

  Other Reviews

  GLOBAL PALLIATIVE CARE: Reports from the Peripheries 2015-2020  A collection of stories, blogs and reflections advocating for global palliative care.

  PALLIATIVE SKILLS FOR FRONTLINE CLINICIANS: Case Vignettes in Everyday Hospital Medicine  A collection of clinical cases, giving both the conventional (do everything) approach and the palliative approach.

  NARRATIVE MEDICINE IN HOSPICE CARE: Identity, Practice, and Ethics through the Lens of Paul Ricoeur  A discussion of narrative medicine and meaningful communication in palliative care.

  HOSPICE PALLIATIVE HOME CARE AND BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT: Nursing Interventions and Supportive Care  A practical resource for nurses working in hospice palliative care in peoples’ homes and in the community. 

  CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES ON THE ETHICS OF END OF LIFE CARE  A collection of essays on the bioethics of end of life care. Some good, some…

• Lessons from the Literature

  Under My Microscope  Duration of palliative care before death comes under IAHPC Research Advisor Dr. Tania Pastrana’s microscope.

  Media Watch: Guidelines  Barry Ashpole highlights guidelines for triage and GPs, as well as a mixed bag of other articles of note.

• Membership Matters
  • Who Are They? A breakdown of IAHPC members’ professional fields.
  • Member’s Impact: Highlighting notable works by members.
  • Members in this newsletter
  • New & Renewing Members’ List
• List of Donors

Alison Ramsey
Senior Editor

Katherine Pettus
PhD, Advisor

Liliana de Lima
MHA, Executive Director

Danilo Fritzler
Webmaster

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