For those of us involved in palliative care long enough to remember EPERC, the End-of-Life Palliative Education Resource Centre, you may recall Fast Facts as one of its most enduring and practical resources. Started in 2000 as palliative care teaching aids, they were adopted as a standard feature of EPERC. Fast Facts are now hosted by the Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin and new content is still being added. Written and peer reviewed by subject experts, Fast Facts aim to be “one-page” reads that will give you a handle on the pertinent facts of the topic. There is a Core Curriculum that represents the essential articles for generalist palliative care knowledge as well as many other more specific topics. While designed for providers in the United States health care system, its information about diseases, general treatment, and communication are helpful for clinicians of any country.
A useful refresher before
meeting with a patient
Fast Facts joined the app world in 2014 and is offered on both the iOS and Android platforms. It is designed to work on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch but is a fair-sized download at 20.4 MB. The Android version is only 9.3 MB. It has been downloaded by more than 6,000 Apple users and 10,000 Android users, and users’ reviews describe it as a useful tool for review for various health care professions prior to exams. However, I see it as a useful refresher for those who have palliative care as only a part of their practice and need a review prior to seeing a patient or having a family meeting. The app is also useful for various levels of learners doing a rotation in palliative care. The app has a “random pick” feature that one could use rather than playing Candy Crush while waiting for a bus.
Bookmarking feature a plus
The app is simple to use and did not malfunction while I was using it. Its icon—the stereotypical hand holding a limp, presumably bedbound hand—is an image I think is a disservice to palliative care as active therapy for the living. The landing page is a list of all Fast Facts with a search function above it. This function is only available from this page and not throughout the app. Despite this drawback, the function is quite good: it highlights the search word in each article. You can bookmark articles to start your own collection of articles of most relevance to you.
The 358 articles are referenced
Each of the 358 articles has pertinent and referenced content. Unfortunately, the version history of each topic is not given at the end of the article, as it is on the online site. There, each article prior to a 2015 peer review of all articles has a version history. Articles written since 2015 provide a publication date. The app’s About section, under the icon, indicates more content with a link to the online site, where there are further resources such as quizzes (some strictly US focused) and links to other resources.
Users will be annoyed that they cannot readily return to a previous article if they follow a link to another. However, this is just a small irritant in what is otherwise an excellent learning and teaching resource at your fingertips.
Editor’s note: Fact Facts are and have been an important resource for Pallipedia, IAHPC’s free online palliative care dictionary.
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How your gift supports the IAHPC mission
Achieved: $24,941
Goal: $30,000
83%
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:
Documents on Human Rights and Access to Medicines and Care
Research
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.
Your membership enables you to participate in IAHPC projects such as the:
Your gift enables us to continue our in-depth reporting and book reviews in Pallinews, as well as media campaigns that raise awareness about the need to increase access to care and support for patients and families.
We are a small organization that allocates over 80% of our budget to mission driven programs and to the maintenance of our free website. We need operational funding to continue the work.
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IAHPC members: When you gift a 2-year membership to a colleague in a low- or middle-income country, we extend your membership by 6 months.
Dr. Romayne Gallagher
