Volume 23, Number 6: June 2022
IAHPC Pain Assessment and Management Course Begins June 21
IAHPC is launching a Comprehensive Course in Pain Assessment and Management, free to members, on June 21. The course comprises 10 modules on topics such as opioid therapy, special considerations in cancer and HIV pain management, and nonpharmacological management of pain.
While the course will be gradually rolled out over one month on Zoom, all sessions will be recorded and available for those unable to attend the live sessions. The format consists of lectures, case studies, and assignments. Each session will be held at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (1 p.m. Central European Time), and will last about one hour (two of the modules will be 90 minutes long).
The pain assessment and management modules were designed—and the lectures will be given—by:
- Lukas Radbruch, MD, who has held the Chair of Palliative Medicine at the University of Bonn since 2010 and was coordinator of the Access to Opioids Medication in Europe project; and
- Ebtesam Ahmed, PharmD, a palliative care pharmacist and bioethics expert based in North America who has been teaching to pharmacists, physicians, and health care professionals globally since 2014.
Deadline to register: June 17.
Attendees must have viewed the Introduction and Modules 2 and 3 of the IAHPC Advocacy Course on the institutional landscape of palliative care, and access to internationally controlled essential medicines. The course is for IAHPC members with a professional degree in any of these fields: pharmacy, medicine, or nursing. (Sign up if you are not a member: a year’s membership is as low as $20 US for individuals living in low-income countries.)
A certificate will be provided to participants who watch all modules and complete all course assignments.
Course overview
Module 1: Introduction / Pathogenesis and Assessment of Pain
Module 2: Pain Management Essential analgesics (WHO EML) & other medications
Module 3: Opioid Therapy Practical aspects & routes and application, modes of administration
Module 4: Opioid Therapy Practical aspects: opioid rotation & conversion ratios
Module 5: Opioid Therapy Management of side effects
Module 6: Neuropathic and Musculoskeletal Pain Overview
Module 7: Special Considerations in Pain Management Cancer & HIV
Module 8: Role of the Pharmacist Essential medicines and particularly opioids
Module 9: Opioid therapy Safety concerns: tips & recommendations on how to prevent diversion and nonmedical use
Module 10: Nonpharmacological management of pain Communication, physiotherapy, psychotherapy & nursing interventions.
Members in the Americas! Apply for Scholarships to These Conferences
IAHPC Scholars who have attended palliative care conferences, both in-person and virtually, have returned energized, enthusiastic, and grateful for the useful information received and the career-building connections (as well as links with peers) they have made.
Sometimes, IAHPC receives so few applications that every person who applies receives a scholarship, granting full access to the entire conference. For those traveling to an in-person event, scholarships also often offset a portion of travel-related costs.
Scholarship applicants can come from any discipline, and it can be a wonderful opportunity for YOU!
Apply online (scroll to the bottom of the page, then click on “Apply for an IAHPC Scholarship Program”). You must be, or become, an IAHPC member in order to apply. Memberships start at $20 US for individuals living in low-income countries.
10 scholarships for in-person ALCP Congress /
10 becas para el X Congreso Latinoamericano de Cuidados Paliativos
Ten IAHPC Scholarships are available for the Latin American Palliative Care Congress taking place November 9 to 12, 2022, in San José, Costa Rica. The theme is “Transforming the art of caring.”
The application deadline is August 15, 2022.
10 scholarships for virtual access to McGill International Congress
Ten IAHPC scholarships are available for full virtual access to the McGill International Palliative Care Congress taking place October 18 to 21, 2022, in Montreal, Canada.
The application deadline is July 15, 2022. Results will be announced in August.
Palliative Care in the UAE: A webinar series & future advocacy tool
“Palliative care in the United Arab Emirates is picking up,” says Dr. Neil Nijhawan, a consultant in palliative medicine at Burgeel Medical City, Abu Dhabi, “and we have organized a series of webinars this year focusing on the issues that we face in the day-to-day provision of palliative care here in the UAE.
“By the end of the series, we anticipate having a list of recommendations that will form the basis of our agenda for change as well as a consensus document that we will use for advocacy.”
All of the webinars are free to attend.
More than 1,000 people registered for the first webinar, on June 2, which focused on improving access to essential palliative care medicines, including opioids. Watch the video of the first webinar.
The initiative is endorsed by the Abu Dhabi Department of Health.
Tidbits (news in brief)
Dr. Cynthia Goh Legacy Project: An institute to improve palliative care access
IAHPC member Dr. Ednin Hamzah, chair of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network, invites contributions to create the Cynthia Goh Global Palliative Care Institute, spearheaded by the family in memory of Dr. Goh. The goal is to collect endowed donations totaling S$10 million (which will be matched to S$20 million), and expendable donations totaling S$2 million to fund expenses. Established by SingHealth Duke-NUS Supportive and Palliative Care Centre, the institute is intended as a catalyst for developing programs to improve access to palliative care, focusing on multi-region research and interdisciplinary education in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.
A Virtual Library with LMICs in Mind
The Virtual Research Library is an electronic collection of open access resources and tools that support clinical research in low- and-middle income countries by guiding researchers (or potential researchers) with any level of experience. A particular focus is mobile health, also called mhealth, and noncommunicable disease research.
Add a Step to the Analgesic Ladder?
Adding Step 4, referral to the anaesthetia team for those needing interventions such as nerve blocks, was suggested at a conference on “End-of-Life Care and Bereavement during the COVID-19 Pandemic” held in London in May. Read a report on the conference by former IAHPC Board Member Julia Downing.
Watch Over Me Public Premiere
Watch Over Me, the 2021 documentary about CanSupport that has won awards and been screened at festivals around the world, had its public premiere as a live streaming event on June 6. CanSupport founder and president (and IAHPC Board Member) Harmala Gupta introduced the film, which was followed by a discussion with filmmaker Farida Pacha. The film follows a CanSupport home care team in New Delhi.
What’s New in the Calendar
Africa
Introduction to Palliative Care for Humanitarian Healthcare Workers Course in East Africa. Virtual. May 17-July 26, 2022.
Canada
Palliative Care In-Depth Workshop. Virtual. June 7-July 12, 2022.
Dubai
2022 UAE Palliative Care Webinar Series. Virtual. June 2-October 8, 2022.
New Zealand
Hospice New Zealand Palliative Care Conference. In person. November 7-9, 2022.
UK
St. Clare Hospice Palliative Care Conference 2022. In person. September 14, 2022, Sawbridgeworth, England.
Global Research and Future Innovations in Best Care for the Dying Person. Virtual and in-person conference. October 13, 2022, Liverpool, England.
Rehabilitation in Palliative Care: Contemporary Opportunities. In-person conference. July 1, 2022, London, England.
USA
2022 Pacific Northwest Palliative Care Conference. In person. June 13, 2022, Lynnwood, Washington.
Access all items in the IAHPC Calendar of Events.
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