2021; Volume 22, No 12, December

By Genevieve Napier
IAHPC Senior Operations Officer

Lack of Funds the Main Reason for Non-renewal

To better serve the palliative care community, the IAHPC recently conducted a survey of members who did not renew their membership in 2021. The survey’s purpose was twofold: to identify barriers that keep people from renewing their membership, and to ascertain how the IAHPC might be able to serve our community better.

The survey provided participants with 13 possible reasons for not renewing, plus an open-ended question that they could complete. The choices were:

• I did not receive renewal reminders.
• I did not receive a response to letters or inquiries.
• I received unsatisfactory response to letters or inquiries.
• My financial situation has changed, and membership is no longer affordable.
• I am no longer working/interested in palliative/hospice care.
• I am unfamiliar with what IAHPC does.
• I do not think IAHPC represents my interests.
• I do not think IAHPC is effective as a membership organization.
• The IAHPC membership benefits were not significant to me.
• My personal goals do not align with the IAHPC mission and vision.
• I was not able to enjoy any/some of the IAHPC membership benefits.
• A global palliative care membership organization is not needed.
• The IAHPC duplicates my state/national/regional organization.
• Other

An overwhelming 63% of respondents stated that their financial situation had changed and membership was no longer affordable. This was not a surprise to the IAHPC leadership. The IAHPC’s focus is on low- and middle-low-income countries. With COVID-19 and its effects on the economy, the struggle is real.

How can you help? The IAHPC is doing its part by reducing all categories of membership fees by 20% through the end of December.

Or you can sponsor a colleague’s membership. It’s easy, complete the Individual Membership Application and select the option: “I am completing this form on behalf of the member and I wish to pay for his/her membership.”

Members’ Impact

If you have a recent achievement—a published article, book, blog, Webinar, award, etc.—that you wish to share with your IAHPC colleagues, please contact Genevieve Napier.

Dr. Zipporah Ali and Jim Cleary were among 13 coauthors of Silver Linings: A qualitative study of desirable changes to cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, an article published online in March in Ecancermedicalscience, an open access journal. The study identified 10 themes of positive change during the pandemic, including acceleration of policy change, human interactions, and value in cancer care. Barriers to positive change were largely attributed to behaviors and attitudes of stakeholders.

Dr. GVM Chamath Fernando was one of nine coauthors of Disparities in End-of-Life Outcomes among Advanced Cancer Patients in Sri Lanka: Results from the APPROACH study, an article published online in October in Palliative Support Care.

One of the goals for UHC is to provide access to affordable palliative care to reduce disparities in end-of-life outcomes. As part of the multinational Asian Patient Perspectives Regarding Oncology Awareness, Care and Health (APPROACH) study, a survey of 199 Sri Lankan patients with stage IV cancer found that those with low socioeconomic status reported significantly lower well-being: physical, functional, emotional, and spiritual.

Marta Ximena León is lead author of Availability and Accessibility of Opioids for Pain and Palliative Care in Colombia: A survey study, published online in October in the Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology. Luisa Fernanda Rodríguez-Camposa and Liliana De Lima were among the eight coauthors. The goal of the study was to identify barriers to availability and accessibility for pain and palliative care. The survey was completed by 806 prescribers; the most-cited barrier was “Pharmacies authorized by health insurance companies,” where opioids are often unavailable.

Patricia Bonilla is one of seven coauthors of Implementation and Knowledge of the Clinical Practice Guide for Palliative Care in the Ecuadorian Primary Care Level, an article published online in November in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Ecuador has committed to including palliative care in its health policies. The study’s objective was to evaluate the degree of implementation of the Clinical Practice Guide for Palliative Care (Guía de Práctica Clínica sobre Cuidados Paliativos, or GPCCP), as of 2021. While many Zone 7 Health Centers have the guide, its implementation was inadequate in 52.9% of cases and half of participants had no palliative care training. Furthermore, only 25% treat agony symptoms and a mere 4.4% acknowledge the use of morphine in dyspnea.

Three IAHPC institutional members—Instituto Cultura y Sociedad, ATLANTES (Universidad de Navarra); Galilee Palliative Care Unit; and Hospice Casa Sperantei—participated in a study to determine the feasibility and acceptability of adapting nominal group technique (NGT) to an online format. Results from Undertaking Research Using Online Nominal Group Technique: Lessons from an international study (RESPACC) were published online in November by the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Online NGT meetings were found to be viable and possibly even advantageous.

Vilma Adriana Tripodoro is lead author of Palliative and Prognostic Approach in Cancer Patients Identified in the Multicentre NECesidades PALiativas 2 Study in Argentina, an article published in November by Ecancer Medical Science.

The objective of the study was to identify prognostic factors of mortality in cancer in a cultural context of Latin America. The study concluded that the best predictors of mortality were: nutritional decline, functional decline, PPS, persistent symptoms, functional dependence, poor treatment response, primary cancer diagnosis, and condition.

William Rosa was lead author of the following four articles.

Global Palliative Nursing Partnerships in the Face of COVID-19, published in the October issue of the International Journal of Palliative Care Nursing, included coauthors Julia Downing and Betty R. Ferrell. This article highlights the need to adapt approaches to meet the challenges and demands of COVID-19 in both clinical and academic spaces, and gives examples of thriving global partnerships.

The same three members joined to write an editorial, New Paths Forward for Palliative Nursing, published online in October in the International Journal of Palliative Care Nursing.

William Rosa and 43 coauthors—including Juli McGowan Boit (a representative of the Living Room International, an IAHPC institutional member), Judith A. Paice and Betty R. Ferrell—wrote a consensus paper published online in October in Nursing Outlook. Titled American Academy of Nursing Expert Panel Consensus Statement on Nursing's Roles in Ensuring Universal Palliative Care Access, the purpose of the paper was to provide recommendations to advance nursing's roles and responsibility to ensure universal access to palliative care.

Part II of the consensus statement, International Consensus-Based Policy Recommendations to Advance Universal Palliative Care Access from the American Academy of Nursing Expert Panels, by the same coauthors, was also published by Nursing Outlook online in October.

Members in This Month’s Newsletter

The IAHPC leadership would like to thank the many members who participated in stories and columns in this month’s newsletter.

Policy & Advocacy

• Victoria Diehl (Costa Rica) has been a member since 2021.
• María Adelaida Córdoba (Colombia) has been a member since 2016.
• Carlos Centeno (Italy) has been a lifetime member since 2017.

Grants in Action

• Sindhu Hirekatur Manjunath (India) has been a member since 2021.
• Simone Cernesi (Italy), member since 2017, endorsed and translated the Global Consensus-Based Palliative Care Definition and the COVID-19 Briefing Notes.
• Lucas Thiago Pereira da Silva (Brazil) has been a member since 2021.
• Vanesa Rocio Orellana Caro (Bolivia) has been a member since 2017.

IAHPC News

• Vilma Tripodoro (Buenos Aires), member since 2009, endorsed the Global Consensus-Based Palliative Care Definition.
• Harmala Gupta (India), member since 2009, endorsed the Global Consensus-Based Palliative Care Definition and the COVID-19 Briefing Notes.

Featured Story

• Dingle Spence (Jamaica), member since 2009, endorsed the Global Consensus-Based Palliative Care Definition and the COVID-19 Briefing Notes.

Meet Some of Our Lifetime Members

• Robert Twycross (United Kingdom) has been a lifetime member since 2003.

Links to IAHPC programs mentioned above: the Global Consensus-Based Palliative Care Definition and the COVID-19 Briefing Notes.

List of Members

A list of individuals who joined, or renewed their membership with, IAHPC during the past month.

Membership renewals

New members

See the full list of IAHPC members

Do you have any questions regarding membership issues?

Contact Ms. Genevieve Napier

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