IAHPC News

Volume 23, Number 2: February 2022
Course creator Dr. Katherine Pettus

IAHPC Advocacy Course: Module 3 now available

Hargot Singh Birgi puts advocacy into action during World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. Photo used with permission.

Module 3 of the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care’s Advocacy Course for members is now available. Members continue to show great interest in this course, launched at the end of 2021 by IAHPC Senior Advocacy and Partnerships Director Dr. Katherine Pettus, who is creating this course, delivering each lecture, and preparing each module’s list of resources. In this masterclass, Dr. Pettus is sharing her extensive experience as an advocate who is still learning on the job.

This online course is proving popular along IAHPC members: nearly 10% of members from 45 countries have already viewed Modules 1 and 2.

Modules 2 and 3 focus on access to essential medicines. Module 2, “Access to Essential Medicines: Normative, Historical & Policy context (Part One) was made available in December 2021. Module 3, “Advocating for Essential Palliative Care Medicines (Part Two),” was released at the end of January 2022. Module 1 presents “Palliative Care Advocacy: The Institutional Landscape.”

Each module consists of a video lecture by Dr. Pettus, a list of resources, and a quiz for those who wish to earn a certificate at completion of the course. An introduction to the course is free access. Access all modules.

If you are not a current member, you can join or renew your membership.


Reminder

Deadline to Apply for Scholarships to Public Health Care Conference

IAHPC scholarships are available for the 7th Public Health Palliative Care International Conference (PHPCI 2022) taking place September 20-23, 2022, in Bruges, Belgium. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2022. Results will be announced at the end of May. Detailed information about the application process as well as the online form are available on the IAHPC website here.


Pallipedia Racks Up 190,017 Views in 2021

Pallipedia is an Internet star! IAHPC’s free, online palliative care dictionary was consulted 190,017 times in 2021. Of those, fully 187,449 were new users.

Pallipedia currently lists 1,392 terms that provide 1,766 definitions. In December 2021, the top 10 terms searched by 56,394 Pallipedia users are below. Oddly, the most-searched words were exactly the same as in November—but in a different order. And eight of them were the same in both October and September 2021!

For the 56,394 Pallipedia users throughout January, the top 10 terms visited were:


Pallipedia is maintained and nurtured by Dr. Roberto Wenk, past Chair of IAHPC.

Contact Dr. Roberto Wenk


IAHPC Directories: 2,500 listings at your fingertips

The current map of palliative care institutions and organizations in the IAHPC directory

IAHPC’s directories continued to expand throughout 2021. The Global Directory of Palliative Care Institutions and Organizations grew by 98 listings last year, for a year-end total of 2,200. The Global Directory of Educational Programs in Palliative Care increased by 55 listings, for a year-end total of 311.

“The directories are continuously updated, so that users and care providers have access to the most current, relevant information,” says IAHPC Executive Director Liliana de Lima. “Having more than 2,000 services and 300 educational programs is indicative of a field that is growing strong. In particular, the growth in educational programs is significant, as prospective students now have an array of programs leading to formal degrees from a wide variety of locations. The cadre of students graduating from these programs will eventually become providers, administrators, or policy makers; each one could have a significant impact on improving the quality of life of patients and their families”.

The institutions directory can be searched by name or geographically on the map provided. Each listing describes the institution or organization and supplies available contact information, including both a Web and a street address.

The educational programs directory can be searched by name, country, language, degrees awarded, field of study, modality (in-class, online, etc.), payment, or course name. Each listing includes the program’s description and learning objectives. Additional details include available contact information, tuition cost, length of the program, and more.


New Listings in the Global Directories

IAHPC Global Directory of Educational Programs

USA

Palliative Medicine Fellowship, WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center

Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship, Naples Community Hospital (NCH)

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center - Hospice and Palliative Medicine Program

Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program

Promote your education and training events in the IAHPC Global Directory of Educational Programs in palliative care. It’s quick and easy—just fill out the Add a new listing page online.

IAHPC Global Directory of Institutions and Organizations

Brazil

Programa de Cuidados Paliativos - CDR - Clínica de Doenças renais de São Jose dos Pinhais

India

Thanal Charitable Organization

Hospicio Hospital, South Goa District Hospital

Children’s Palliative Care - Goa (CPC-Goa) - Prateek Menzes Memorial Foundation

Dilasa Palliative Care Centre

Sabrcare Trust

Slovakia

Mobile Hospice Touch Of Life

Spain

Aula Interdisciplinar SL

Gain visibility by adding your institution, department, or organization that provides palliative or hospice care to the IAHPC Global Directory of Institutions and Organizations. Simply fill out the Add a new listing page online.


Do you have any questions regarding the IAHPC Calendar of Events and IAHPC Directories?

Contact Ms. Julia Libreros


What’s New in the IAHPC Calendar of Events

Canada

The Soul of Medicine in the Last Year of Life: Novel Solutions to Palliative Care Access across Economic and Cultural Divides Symposium. Virtual. March 10, 2022.

Italy

Palliative Care. An International Lab. Virtual congress. February 9, 2022.

UK

Care of Wounds in Palliative Care. In-person workshop. February 15, 2022. London.

Principles and Practice of Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Registered Nurses, Nursing Associates and Allied Health Professionals. Virtual course. February 22, 2022.

USA

Psychopharmacology in Cancer Care: An Update for Clinicians of All Disciplines. Virtual Webinar. April 23, 2022.

The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief. In person and virtual. July 15, 2022. Portland, Oregon.

Access all items in the IAHPC Calendar of Events.


Great idea! Life Ledger is a free service for families in the United Kingdom to inform all businesses of a death, on a single, easy-to-use website. Its bank of businesses includes more than 700 UK companies, including: banks; insurance and pension providers; and gas, water, telecom, and social media. It was spearheaded by a woman who found the complex process of death notification “painful” after her mother died.


News from our members

Palliative Care Resources for Africa and Latin America

Paliativos Sin Fronteras España (PSF) has recently added to its books on palliative care: Los valores del cuidado, Medicina Paliativa: Cuidados del enfermo en el final de la vida y atención a su familia (2018), Medicina Paliativa en niños y adolescentes (2016 in Spanish, 2021 in French, and 2022 in Portuguese), and Atlas de Patología médico quirúrgica en África (2021). The books are available through the publications page of the PSF website here.

In 2021, the PSF delegations in Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo published a new Guide de soins palliatifs (in French) for their countries (download the pdf here), developed by professionals working with palliative care patients since 2011.

The PSF website contains detailed information on many aspects related to palliative care (psychosocial, bioethics, cooperation, etc.), in addition to courses in palliative medicine for children and adults, available to professionals, caregivers, volunteers, and the general public. The website, which is in Spanish, is also available in Portuguese.

Palliativos Sin Fronteras started in 2009 in Spain as a nonprofit public utility health NGO. It works to promote international cooperation in palliative care, pain relief, and oncology through courses, to support the training of professionals in these fields, and collaborate with palliative care groups in countries with scarce or limited resources. It has promoted the creation of a network of teaching hospitals in Spain, Chile, and Mexico and operates in 20 countries.

PSF received the 2015 NGDO (Non-government Development Organization) of the Year Award in Spain, given by the Spanish Pain Foundation and Society for its palliative and pain training programs in Latin America and Africa. In 2017 it won the Anesvad Award for Innovation in International Cooperation in Africa, as well as an award from the American Medical Association Foundation for its international cooperation work in Haiti.

Recursos de cuidados paliativos para África y América Latina

Paliativos Sin Fronteras España (PSF), ha añadido recientemente a sus publicaciones sobre cuidados paliativos estos libros: Los valores del cuidado, Medicina Paliativa: Cuidados del enfermo en el final de la vida y atención a su familia (2018), Medicina Paliativa en niños y adolescentes (2016 en español, 2021 francés, y 2022 portugués), y el Atlas de Patología médico quirúrgica en África (2021). Los libros están disponibles a través de su web aquí.

En 2021, las Delegaciones de Paliativos sin Fronteras en Camerún y en la RD Congo publicaron una nueva Guide de soins palliatifs (en francés) para sus países (disponible para descargar en pdf aquí), elaborada por profesionales que trabajan con pacientes de cuidados paliativos desde 2011.

Su sitio web contiene información detallada sobre muchos aspectos relacionados con los cuidados paliativos (psicosociales, bioética, cooperación, etc.), a los que se suman los cursos de formación que ofrece de medicina paliativa en niños y adolescentes para profesionales, para cuidadores, voluntarios y público en general. La web está también en portugués.

Paliativos Sin Fronteras se inició en 2009 en España como una ONG sanitaria de Utilidad Pública, sin ánimo de lucro y es miembro de la AECID y de la IAHCP. Trabaja para promover la cooperación internacional en cuidados paliativos, alivio del dolor y oncología a través de cursos, de apoyar la formación de profesionales en estos campos y de colaborar con entidades paliativas de países de escasos y medianos recursos. Durante estos años ha promovido la creación de una red de hospitales docentes solidarios en España, Chile y México y tiene delegaciones en 20 países. PSF ha recibido el premio a la ONGD del Año de España en 2015 otorgado por la Fundación y Sociedad Española del Dolor por sus programas de formación paliativa y de dolor en Latinoamérica y África. En 2017 obtuvo el Premio Anesvad a la Innovación en Cooperación Internacional en África, así como un premio de la Fundación AMA por su trabajo de cooperación internacional en Haití.


Hospice Africa Uganda’s 2nd Palliative Care Initiators’ Course

A second Palliative Care Initiators’ Course organized by Hospice Africa Uganda has been announced. The goal of the course is “to train health professionals to initiate affordable and culturally appropriate palliative care services in their own country, and to be advocates and leaders for the specialty.”

The course consists of a three-month online session, beginning April 4, 2022, followed by a three-week practical placement where participants work with the hospice’s mobile team. The deadline for applications is February 25, 2022; there is a 20-student maximum. For more information, email [email protected].

The online session costs 400,000 UG shillings ($110 USD); the placement costs 1,600,000 UG shillings ($440 USD).

To learn more about Paliativos Sin Fronteras and Hospice Africa Uganda, visit the IAHPC Global Directory of Palliative Care Institutions and Organizations.


In other news

The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death

On February 1, 2022, The Lancet launched its Commission on the Value of Death, which has been in the planning since 2019. The Commission will search for “ways to create a healthier relationship” with death, both for society and the medical profession. It states that “a rebalancing is needed of the relationships and partnerships between people who are dying, families, communities, health and social care systems, and wider civic society.”

The stated intention of the Commission’s nearly two dozen members is to establish “five principles of a realistic utopia” where:

The Commission—which includes IAHPC Board members Dr. Nahla Gafer and Dr. Felicia Knaul—will make recommendations.


JPM Invites Media Reviews

The Journal of Palliative Medicine invites reviews of books, movies, apps, and television shows related to palliative/hospice care. Reviews range from 700 to 1000 words, are low stress, and can be done individually or with others.

Past reviews included the movie Coco, an episode of the Netflix show Black Mirror, the book When We Do Harm, and the NPR podcast Dying Well. Interested? Email Books & Reviews Editor Ashwini Bapat at: [email protected].


Framework for Minimum National Standard

for Palliative Care in Canada Can Apply Globally

The Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework is a new document, freely available online, by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, that defines a minimum standard for palliative care in the country. It was a collaborative effort based on practices found in different regions, vetted by experts in each of these key disciplines: nursing, GP, social work, personal support work, and volunteering.

“There are going to be differences of setting, but the basic knowledge is pretty universal,” says Dr. Deborah Dudgeon, part of the team that prepared the framework and Director of the Palliative Care Medicine Program at Queen’s University. “The thing most specific to Canada ia MAID [medical assistance in dying]. Other than that, the standards are pretty basic. Does someone in Africa need to know about psychosocial aspects surrounding grief? Yes, even if how they are dealing with it is different.”

The first half of the document outlines a competency framework, then outlines 12 domains of competency with a detailed list for each of the disciplines. The second half consists of self-assessments for each discipline.

“People can go online and do a self-assessment to identify their own deficiencies, or they can be used by agencies to identify gaps, as pre- and post-evaluations for educational programs,” Dr. Dudgeon gave as examples of their use.

The framework is aimed for individuals, managers, educators, and national accreditation and regulatory agencies. It has been endorsed by 22 palliative care organizations and associations; the document is available as a downloadable pdf in English and French.


Quotable

“Within two years of following the lives of 10 patients, nine of them have already passed away. I started to think to myself: we welcome new lives with joy, but why shouldn’t we do the same when the lives are leaving?” —From Review, a Chinese documentary by Zhi-Han Chen about terminal patients. View the trailer.


Each month, we publish items that may be of interest to our global readership. Contributions are welcomed.

Please also consider promoting your education and training events in the IAHPC Global Directory of Education in Palliative Care. It’s quick and easy — just submit your content online.

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