IAHPC traveling scholarships helped three health care providers attend the European Association for Palliative Care's 13th World Research Congress held in Barcelona in May. These are their reports.
Knowledge of Other Cultures Helps Everyone
Ana Paula Salas Moreira
PhD candidate, University of Navarra
Pamplona, Spain
Libby Sallnow's plenary covered the many social, cultural, religious, and political factors that determine how death, dying, and grief are understood, experienced, and managed. Already complex processes in themselves, adding more layers, such as being an immigrant in a country with different beliefs, can make them isolating experiences if not treated properly.
Sabrina Bajwah's story of her late brother, related in another plenary, was an example of this. His death, hard in itself, was made even more devastating by the lack of bereavement services that met the cultural and religious needs of her British-Pakistani family. Sabrina’s research now focuses on trying to address this. I believe this is important because migration is a rising trend, and this sort of initiative—focused on the needs of ethnically diverse groups—is going to be useful for everyone.
Oral presentation: Educating Students of Economics, Management, Law, Architecture and Psychology on Palliative Care: Knowledge, Attitudes and Comfort
Valuable Tips about Research
Eva Paoletti
Nurse, FARO hospice
Carignano, Italy
I learned a great deal about how to perform good research.
Firstly, it is important to involve a mentor who can help guide an appropriate design, method of data collection, and analyses early on. Research must have a purpose, and conclude with a key message. Writing should be simple and straightforward, with relevant messages and related conclusions. As researchers, we are writing for the world: write for an international audience.
Also, be patient! It can take months to implement revisions based on reviewers' suggestions. And don’t give up if a journal rejects your submission. Rejection does not necessarily reflect the value of your paper.
Highlights: Real-world examples & new research
Tamara Radojicic
PhD candidate, University of Navarra, Institute of Culture and Society - ATLANTES, Global Observatory of Palliative Care
Niksic, Montenegro
A plenary session on implementation science in palliative care was particularly captivating because it provided a comprehensive overview of how evidence-based practices are translated into real-world settings, offering practical insights into improving palliative care delivery.
The presentation of cutting-edge research in palliative care included new findings on pain management, psychosocial support, and innovative approaches to end-of-life care. Sessions showcased successful case studies where doctors, nurses, social workers, and other professionals worked together to provide comprehensive care.
Lastly, there was a strong focus on the need for cultural sensitivity when providing palliative care to diverse populations. For my future research, I am excited about exploring cultural aspects that influence the barriers and facilitators to transitions from oncology to palliative care outside of the European context.
Oral presentation: Barriers and Facilitators of Transition from Oncology to Palliative Care: An integrative review.
Great idea! A training program for palliative care volunteers. Vrije University's Steven Vanderstichelen described a program to increase volunteers' knowledge about what to do in certain situations, give them more skills, and ultimately boost their confidence when volunteering. In our courses, we see many students interested in volunteering but few who actually do; some have said that they lack the skills. Maybe a program like this could motivate them. —Ana Paula Salas Moreira
Read more of this week's issue of Pallinews
A framework & guide
To measure the burden of serious health-related suffering to aid researchers, policymakers, & practitioners: a follow-up to the Lancet Commission on palliative care & pain relief by Afsan Bhadelia and Xiaoxiao Kwete.
Plus Fred's Journey is a thoughtful article on the challenges of a husband's long-undiagnosed Parkinson's, a moving companion to the Palliative Care in Neurological Conditions online course, free to IAHPC members. The last live segment, on palliative care in persons with severe, acute brain injury, is on July 25.
This newsletter, including (but not limited to) all written material, images, photos are protected under international copyright laws and are property of the IAHPC. You may share the IAHPC newsletter preserving the original design, the IAHPC logo, and the link to the IAHPC website, but you are not allowed to reproduce, modify, or republish any material without prior written permission from the IAHPC.