Approximately 60 million people require palliative care (PC) annually. More than 80% of patients that need PC are in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited access to PC services. Several factors hinder access to palliative care in LMIC’s ranging from access to medications, capacity building to reluctance of who, when and how to refer to PC.
Interprofessional advocacy, particularly establishing a palliative care nursing champion program, can facilitate the provision of hospital-based PC services in LMICs. To promote access to palliative care at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) in Lebanon, a nursing palliative care championship program was established in 2023, alongside referral-based criteria. At AUBMC, palliative care nursing champions are embedded within every unit, they play a vital role in identifying patients who require palliative care referrals, facilitating early referral, and supporting symptom management, psychosocial needs, and thoughtful goals-of-care discussions.
In alignment with this year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care theme “Achieving the Promise, Universal Access to Palliative Care,” the Palliative care nursing champions taskforce organized a palliative care unit competition across the institution. Over three inspiring days, our hospital came alive with a powerful advocacy of palliative care. Nurses led innovative and meaningful campaigns that showcased their creativity, compassion, and commitment to palliative care. These initiatives were led by each unit’s palliative care champion, supported by PC specialty nurses and overseen by the PC Advanced Practice Nurse, reflecting a truly collective effort.
The campaigns were evaluated by a multidisciplinary jury of physicians, nurses, and hospital leaders, who were deeply impressed by the level of engagement and excellence demonstrated across all units. While every team delivered remarkable work, four units distinguished themselves through exceptional impact and innovation: the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon Inpatient Unit, the Adult Oncology Inpatient Unit, the Coronary Care Unit (CCU), and the Radiation Oncology Unit.
Children’s Cancer Center Inpatient Unit
The “Redefining Hope” campaign emphasizes that hope persists even when cure is no longer possible, evolving into comfort, dignity, connection, and peace. It reminds us that at every stage of illness, children and families can still find meaning in pain relief, shared moments, and human presence. Through pediatric palliative care, hope is redefined beyond recovery to include healing, compassion, comfort, and love.
They had an interactive Jenga game that symbolizes the multidisciplinary nature of care as participants collect pieces representing physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and financial domains, ending in a tower labeled “Palliative Care” to illustrate an integrated approach to patient care that truly redefines hope for children and their families.
Adult Oncology Inpatient Unit
The Adult Oncology Unit champions brought enthusiasm and innovation to their booth. They showcased a vibrant and meaningful educational booth under the campaign ‘عطول حدّك’ “Aala Toul Haddak,” translating to “Always next to you.”
Their booth featured an interactive electronic game that transformed the space into a lively, fun, and competitive atmosphere, drawing colleagues together to challenge one another, answer questions, and test their knowledge on palliative care and referral criteria. To further extend the message, the champions prepared thoughtful giveaways including tote bags and scented candles carrying the campaign slogan, to leave visitors with a lasting reminder of the compassion, presence, and continuous support that defines palliative care.
Coronary Care Unit
The Coronary Care Unit team created an interactive stand to promote awareness and advocacy for palliative care. Through the “Palliative Care Commitment Wall,” staff from all disciplines wrote one action they commit to taking in the coming year to improve palliative care and support patients and families. Participants then spun a wheel that directed them to a game, such as Truth or Myth, True or False, Role Play, or Referral Criteria; where they picked a card and completed the challenge.
Those who answered correctly were rewarded with gifts, making learning engaging, memorable, and fun in a creatively designed and decorated space.
Radiation Oncology Unit
Together with the multidisciplinary team, the palliative care champion for the Radiation Oncology Unit prepared patient brochures in both Arabic and English, designed to clearly explain the purpose of palliative care and how it supports patients throughout their journey in radiation therapy.
The booth showcased an interactive True-or-False board with meaningful statements that helped clarify common misconceptions about palliative care. Moreover, the team designed a pin featuring hands and a heart, symbolizing unity, compassion, and palliative care integration in radiation oncology. This logo was designed into a Christmas ornament and was added to their Christmas tree.
To celebrate all this, a pinning ceremony was held to honor and recognize the palliative care nursing champions at AUBMC.
Our champions serve as role models, mentors, and change agents, fostering a culture of PC within AUBMC that extends beyond nursing to encompass the entire multidisciplinary team. The pinning of our palliative care nursing champions serves as a significant moment, one that embodies responsibility, purpose, and a commitment to serve with empathy and dignity. The pin design was created by the champions, a lotus flower that embodies resilience and transformation amidst adversity, just as palliative care helps patients with serious illness rise above their challenges to achieve better quality of life and dignity.
The arms around the lotus are the champions offering them support, and the teardrop shape of the pin reflects the importance of empathy in our approach. Following the campaigns, there was a noticeable increase in palliative care referrals, demonstrating that nurses’ empowerment can lead to improved quality of care.
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Authors:
Janane Hanna, Pain and Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, Academic Associate at Hariri School of Nursing, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
Dina Saidi, Registered Nurse, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
Houry Kazarian, Magnet Program Coordinator, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebano
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This is the link for nursing AUBMC website
For further information please contact Janane Hanna Jh25@aub.edu.lb
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