Media Watch: an annotated list of recent articles about palliative care in the news media and the literature
Media Watch is intended as an advocacy and research tool. The weekly report, published by Barry R. Ashpole, a Canadian communications consultant and educator, monitors the literature and the lay press on issues specific to the quality of end-of-life care. It is international in scope and distribution. Each month, this section of the IAHPC will publish an abstract or summary of an article or report of special interest noted in a recent issue of Media Watch (see below).
Bridging the gaps in palliative care bereavement support: an international perspective
Death Studies, 2014; 38 (1): 54-61. A review of palliative care policies and bereavement support practices in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and Japan demonstrated four challenges: 1) questions over providing universal versus targeted support; 2) a lack of clear evidence driving service delivery; 3) informal or no risk assessment; and 4) limited or no evaluation of services. Bridging the gaps between the policy and practice ... [and] ... support requires acknowledging the challenges of medical and public health models, improving bereavement need assessment processes, enhancing the role of primary care providers, and extending research to provide an evidence-base for interventions. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07481187.2012.725451
Dignity in care: time to take action
Journal of Pain & Symptom management | Online – 7 October 2013 – Patient care and caring about patients should go hand in hand. Caring implicates our fundamental attitude toward patients, and the ability to convey kindness, compassion and respect. Yet all too often, patients and families experience healthcare as impersonal, mechanical and quickly discover that patient-hood trumps person-hood. The consequences of a medical system organized around care rather than caring are considerable. Despite technical competence, patients and families are dissatisfied with medical encounters when caring is less than evident. Lack of empathy and emotional disengagement often accompanies health care provider burnout. Caring is the gateway to disclosure; without it, patients are less likely to say what is bothering them, leading to missed diagnoses, medical errors and compromised patient safety. There are also liability issues, with most complaints levied against healthcare professionals stemming from failures in care tenor. Formal education for healthcare providers lacks a continued focus on achieving a culture of caring. If caring really matters, healthcare systems can insist on certain behaviors and impose certain obligations to improve care tenor, empathy, and effective communication. Caregivers need to be engaged in looking at their own attitudes toward patients, their own vulnerability, their own fears and whatever else it is that shapes their tone of care. Healthcare professionals must set aside some time, supported by their institutions, to advance a culture of caring – now is the time to take action. http://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(13)00452-1/abstract.
The current and back issues of the weekly report can be accessed here.
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How your gift supports the IAHPC mission
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Education
Your gift funds the operational costs of our online courses taught by globally recognized experts who volunteer their time and provide educational resources relevant to palliative care topics. It also supports scholarships that enable palliative care workers to attend educational events and congresses, and allows us to maintain Pallipedia, the free, live, online dictionary.
The goal of this pillar is to implement strategies, resources and tools that will improve the competencies of the global workforce for appropriate palliative care delivery. We have two programs under this pillar plus many other resources for our members.
Your gift enables us to build and strengthen the partnerships that accelerate global, regional, and national advocacy for palliative care. We advocate for its integration into primary health care under universal health coverage and effective access to essential palliative care medicines and packages for people of all ages. Your gift supports our work to prepare delegates and participate in technical consultation meetings of the relevant UN organizations.
The goal this pillar is the integration of palliative care into primary health care within the spectrum of universal coverage to improve access to adequate care for patients in need. We offer the following to our members:
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Your gift enables us to continue doing research that provides guidance and recommendations for action, based on responses from the global palliative care community. Such research includes our recent evaluation of the impact of euthanasia and assisted dying practices on palliative care workers and the use of essential medicines for palliative care. It also supports the costs of publications focused on research relevant to palliative care.
The goal of this pillar is to design and implement projects that lead to the integration of palliative care into health policies, resolutions, and key documents. Our studies help us provide guidance and recommendations, and take action based on the responses from the global palliative care community.
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