A poll released this week by The National Journal and Regence Foundation found that doctors in the US are overwhelmingly supportive of palliative care interventions for seriously ill patients. Of the 500 doctors who completed the survey, 96% believed that enhancing the quality of life of seriously ill patients was more important than extending their […]
Category: News
US project aims to integrate palliative care and emergency medicine
A newly launched national initiative in the US entitled Improving Palliative Care in Emergency Medicine (IPAL-EM) will promote access to palliative medicine for seriously ill patients presenting at emergency departments. The project, which was supported in part by the Centre to Advance Palliative Care, aims to increase referral rates for seriously ill patients from emergency […]
Tearfund to launch palliative care services in Zimbabwe
The relief and development agency Tearfund is to launch a palliative care initiative in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The project, funded by the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, will focus on training palliative care professionals in the region, improving access to pain-relieving drugs and developing referral systems. The population of Manicaland, which is located in the West […]
Does the legalisation of euthanasia affect palliative care?
A new report by the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) may challenge the notion that the legalisation of euthanasia negatively affects the growth of palliative care services. The study, which was originally requested by the Commission on Assisted Dying, compared palliative care indicators in countries with legalised euthanasia (Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg) […]
Department of Health in England launches end of life survey
A new survey commissioned by the Department of Health aims to gauge the quality of end of life care in England. The project, which is being administered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will involve sending a postal survey to 49,000 individuals who registered the death of a loved one between November 2010 and […]
British GPs urged to “find their 1%”
A new campaign by the Dying Matters Coalition is encouraging GPs to identify the 1% of their patients who are entering their last year of life. The Find Your 1% project aims to promote discussion of end-of-life care in order to increase the number of people dying at home. A report released last year by […]
Increase in admissions to palliative care in Australian hospitals
A new study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows that over the last decade the number of hospital admissions for palliative care services has increased by over 50%. This news was well received by Palliative Care Australia (PCA), an organisation which promotes the provision of quality end of life care. Dr […]
Access to palliative care in the US is improving but further work is needed.
The US-based Center to Advance Palliative Care has issued a national ‘Report Card’ which upgrades the overall level of palliative care accessibility in the country to a B grade, up from C in 2008. But whilst the number of hospitals with specialist palliative care units has increased significantly in recent years (more than doubling since […]
WPCA Report Highlights Serious Shortcomings in International Palliative Care Provision
A new report by the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance shows that 32% of countries still have no known palliative care activity whatsoever. The study, entitled “Mapping levels of palliative care development: A global update 2011”, compiled detailed information about the level of hospice and palliative care provision in every country worldwide. The results also showed […]
New prognostic model can predict survival in palliative care patients with advanced cancer
In a research paper published in the BMJ (25 August), UK researchers found that a cancer survival scale based on readily available clinical and laboratory variables, can reliably predict how long a cancer patient in palliative care will live. The research paper shows the development of two prognostic models, both of which are able to […]