What's New on IPCRC.net Archive
Treat the Pain / Life before Death
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EPERC Fast Facts: What's New (open access)
Review the latest EPERC Fast Facts; access all the Fast Facts
JCO Art of Oncology (open access)
New articles posted monthly… also read this special article:
September 2011
WHO: Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2011
The noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) situation in 193 countries
ESMO Guide: "How to Get the Most out of Your Oncologist: a Guide for Patients with Advanced Cancer" (PDF 2 MB)
For patients and their family members, it provides practical advice regarding cancer care, communicating with oncologists, important questions to ask, getting information and the challenges of living with an advanced cancer. For practising oncologists, the guide will serve as a tool to help focus important discussions with their patients and to assist in addressing the many issues their patients are confronting.
Thinking Ahead: My Life at the End
A resource for people with developmental disabilities to advocate for themselves and stay in control of their lives through the end of their lives. Open access. PDFs available in Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish
Palliative Care Development in Africa: How Can We Provide Enough Quality Care? R A Powell, F N Mwangi-Powell, F Kiyange, L Radbruch, R Harding. BMJ Support Palliat Care 2011;1:113-114
Pain Code: Get Pain Under Control Quickly, Charles von Gunten, Provost, the Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice on Medscape
How to get the pain under control quickly when there's a pain crisis.
Palliative Care: What Approaches are Suitable in Developing Countries? By Henry Ddungu, MD, Uganda, in the British Journal of Haematology 2011; 154(6): 728–735. PMID: 21707576.
Balsam: The Lebanese Center for Palliative Care
A non-governmental organization that works to relieve patient suffering and improve quality of life.
Variation between End-of-Life Health Care Costs in Los Angeles and San Diego: Why are They so Different? Kaplan RM. J Palliat Med. 2011 Feb;14(2):215-20. PMID: 21314574 Open Access.
Medical care, particularly at the end of life, is significantly more expensive in Los Angeles (LA) (> US $43,000 in the last 2 years of life) than in San Diego (< US $29,000), yet quality measures tend to favor in San Diego. Non-emergent hospital admissions and inpatient care at the end of life are important contributors to the cost differences. There is little reason to believe that the greater spending for health care in LA results in better patient outcomes
Early Palliative Care for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Temel JS, Greer JA, Muzikansky A, Gallagher ER, Admane S, Jackson VA, Dahlin CM, Blinderman CD, Jacobsen J, Pirl WF, Billings JA, Lynch TJ. N Engl J Med. 2010 Aug 19;363(8):733-42. PMID: 20818875 Open Access.
Among patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, early palliative care led to significant improvements in both quality of life and mood. As compared with patients receiving standard care, patients receiving early palliative care had less aggressive care at the end of life but longer survival.
ACS: American Cancer Society International Fellowships for Beginning Investigators (ACSBI), Application Deadline November 01, 2011
The ACSBI fellowship emphasizes the transfer of knowledge from the host institute to others at the home institute. It offers the fellow the opportunity to be mentored by experts in the chosen field, receive hands on experience in clinical, behavioural or basic research, intellectual stimulation, research guidance, narrative transfer and many other opportunities to evolve scientifically and academically.
Frank D. Ferris presents Goals and Challenges of Palliative Care on UCSD TV
Frank D. Ferris discusses Palliative Care on CFAX Canadian Radio (audio only)
Freedom from Pain, Al Jazeera TV, July 20, 2011
For many in the West pain ends with a pill, but elsewhere the war on drugs is cutting people off from pain medication.
Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control
An initiative convened by the Harvard Global Equity Initiative, the Harvard Medical School, the Harvard School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to design, implement and evaluate innovative, multi-stakeholder strategies for expanding access to cancer prevention, detection and care.
- Closing the Cancer Divide - The Global Equity Imperative of Expanding Access in Low and Middle-Income Countries, Conference, October 28, 2011, Boston
Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa Congress, August 2011
View videos of the congress presentations
Human Rights Watch: Ukraine: Uncontrolled Pain Ukraine's Obligation to Ensure Evidence-Based
This 93-page report describes Ukrainian government policies that make it impossible for cancer patients living in rural areas to get essential pain medications.
IOM Report: Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research (open access)
In this report, the IOM offers a blueprint for action in transforming prevention, care, education, and research, with the goal of providing relief for people with pain in America.
Kenya National Cancer Control Strategy 2011-2016 published in August 2011 (PDF 650KB)
The Lancet: Managing pain effectively, 25 June 2011; 377 (9784):2151 (open access)
An overview of The Lancet's new clinical Series focusing on treatments for postoperative, chronic non-cancer, and chronic cancer pain.
MECC: Can We Overcome the Effect of Conflicts in Rendering Palliative Care? An Introduction to the Middle Eastern Cancer Consortium (MECC) Current Oncology Reports 2011; 13 (4): 302-307, PMID: 21538041
"Pawsitive Pals"
A video highlighting San Diego Hospice's Pet Therapy Program
Republic of Georgia Updates
Watch several recent videos on palliative care; download the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan for Palliative Care
Stop Torture in Health Care, Open Society Foundations
Millions of people are left to suffer in pain without access to proper medicines. read more...close
The severity of the pain experienced by patients denied pain relief can be as great or greater than that of traditional torture techniques, and it can last longer. Although not acting out of malice, health workers and policymakers restrict access to pain medicines for inappropriate reasons such as exaggerated fears of addiction, failure to educate or train physicians in palliative care, arbitrary regulations on morphine-derived substances, and preoccupation with drug control rather than concern for people with pain.
- 50 milligrams is not enough
A video presenting the story of Vlad and his suffering from uncontrolled pain
Strategic Planning Summit for the Advancement of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacy
The Summit was developed by a multidisciplinary advisory board including pharmacists, physicians and nurses to examine the education and development of pharmacists on pain and palliative care across the entire professional continuum.
Switzerland: National Cancer Program 2005 – 2010
Incorporating palliative care…PDFs available in French, German and English.
Wolfson International Bursaries 2011, Help the Hospices
This grant programme aims to increase and improve the provision of palliative care in commonwealth resource-poor countries.
5 Stories: highlights San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine
May 2011
New Guideline! Centre for Palliative Care, Melbourne Australia: Psychosocial and bereavement support of family caregivers of palliative care patients (630 KB)
Support for family caregivers is a core function of palliative care. Read more...Close
Most family caregivers will adequately respond to their role and even identify positive aspects associated with their experience. However, a considerable proportion of family caregivers will experience poor psychological, social, financial, spiritual and physical well-being and some will also suffer from prolonged grief. It is clear that many family caregivers have unmet needs and would like more information, education, preparation and personal support to assist them in the caregiving role. There is also a shortage of evidence-based strategies to guide health professionals to provide optimal support whilst the caregiver is providing care and after the patient's death. [The] research team [at the Centre for Palliative Care] ... has developed Clinical Practice Guidelines for the psychosocial and bereavement support of family caregivers of palliative care patients. The guidelines were developed for multidisciplinary health care professionals and clinical services commonly involved in caring for adult patients receiving palliative care in a variety of care sites throughout Australia. The guidelines may also prove valuable for the international palliative care community and for generalist health care providers who may occasionally care for palliative care patients. Download the guideline from http://www.centreforpallcare.org/assets/uploads/CP-Guidelines_web.pdf (630 KB)
April 2011
New Guideline! Palliative Radiotherapy for Bone Metastases: An ASTRO Evidence-Based Guideline. Lutz S, Berk L, Chang E et al. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2011 Mar 15;79(4):965-76. Epub 2011 Jan 27. PMID: 21277118 (Download PDF 108 KB with Permission from Elsevier) Link to PDF download (108 KB)
Radiotherapy is a successful and time efficient method by which to palliate pain and/or prevent the morbidity of bone metastases. This Guideline reviews the available data to define its proper use and provide consensus views concerning contemporary controversies or unanswered questions that warrant prospective trial evaluation
EPEC-Oncology Curriculum now available for download from www.IPCRC.net
First Central Asian Palliative Care Policy Meeting, Barcelona Spain, March 8-11, 2011
This Open Society Foundations Public Health Program Seminar was hosted by Xavier Batiste Gomez.
Download the presentations and resources in either English or Russian…
INCB: International Narcotic Control Board 2010 Annual Report
WHO Policy Guidelines Ensuring Balance in National Policies on Controlled Substances, Guidance for Availability and Accessibility for Controlled Medicines
The WHO Policy Guidelines for Controlled Substances provide guidance on policies and legislation with regards to availability, accessibility, affordability and control of medicines made from substances regulated under the international drug control conventions.
Canadian Virtual Hospice
The Canadian Virtual Hospice provides support and personalized information about palliative and end-of-life care to patients, family members, health care providers, researchers and educators.
International Telehealth Palliative Care Symposium
The Telehealth Palliative Care Symposium provides palliative care training and resources to healthcare professionals in rural and urban communities worldwide.
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Page Last Modified: Fri Sep 16 2011