Everyone knows the importance of Palliative Care (PC) and the substantial barriers we withstand in our practice. Challenges go from the absence of morphine availability in the health system to fear of prescribing opioids, from the lack of National stand-alone policies on PC to the difficulties of planning advanced medical care with some patients or their families. But, more specifically, what are the main barriers a country (your country!) must overcome to develop PC?
In 2021 the WHO and a global group of experts developed a new tool: a conceptual framework for PC development and a set of actionable indicators crucial to strengthening PC. These assess both the current state of a country’s PC progress and allow seeing changes over time and across countries.
One of the most important things about having a tool is to know how to use it. For that, the ATLANTES – Global Observatory of Palliative Care, a WHO collaborating centre for the global monitoring of PC development, designed a free online course to train experts to become consultants in the assessment of national PC development. The course walks the expert through the six dimensions, teaches the concepts of the indicators, and proposes the best ways to collect the best information available. This course is accredited by the University of Navarra, which will issue a certificate to each participant upon completion. The platform also connects experts with their peers around the world.
To become a consultant for your country, candidates must subscribe the course here. Members of ATLANTES will contact the most suitable participants for the role. Greater chances to be selected are typically to have over 5 years PC experience; to represent a PC Organisation in your country; and have experience in either PC education, health policies, service provision, PC research, empowerment of people and communities or access to essential medicines.
All the consultants completing the course can apply for a free membership in the WHPCA.
Fernanda Vieira Bastos
ATLANTES team
For any other information, please contact ATLANTES at fvieirabast@unav.es
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