News and Current Events in Palliative Care around the World

BMJ launches new journal
The BMJ announced the imminent launch of a new peer-reviewed, international supportive and palliative care journal. BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care will be published quarterly in print and continuously online with the aim of providing high quality, clinically relevant research and news to palliative care specialists, as well as generalists and doctors in other specialties dealing with terminal conditions. The website will play an important role in the overall journal and will feature all content ahead of print, as well as offering regular news updates, podcasts, blogs, polls, and eventually, interactive educational features. The journal will be launched at the CaPri meeting.

Report on IPPCRG Cape Town meeting in South African Family Practitioner
A report of the IPPCRG meeting in Cape Town, South Africa has been published in the journal South African Family Practitioner. To see the report, click here (98 KB)

WONCA establishes a special interest group in cancer and palliative care
The world general practice and primary care body, WONCA, has established a special interest group in cancer and palliative care. This is the initiative of Dr Eric Rijswijk, a member of our executive, and Professor David Weller, a member of our group. To see the report of the intiative from the February 2011 newsletter, click here (800 KB) To view the whole newsletter click here (1 MB)

Institute of Palliative Medicine designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Center (WHOCC)
Dr Suresh Kumar has informed us that the Institute of Palliative Medicine has been designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Center (WHOCC) in Palliative Care. IPM becomes the fifth WHOCC in Palliative Care in the World and the first one in the Developing world. Congratulations to Dr Kumar and his team- this is just regard for excellent work. Click here for more details

2nd International Conference on Public Health and Palliative Care, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 21st to 23rd Jan, 2011
Click here for information
or go to http://www.pubhealthpallcare.in

IPPCRG highlighted in the International Hospice and Palliative Care Newsletter
An article by Scott Murray in the IAHPC newsletter highlights the work of IPPCRG. Click here for the article IAHPC Newsletter (2010); Volume 11, No 11, November.

Concept of trajectories at the end of life: Physical and other dimensions: EAPC Glasgow, June 2010 Scott Murray
Concept of Trajectories (176 KB)

Palliative Care Initiative
I am delighted to forward you details of the evaluations into three palliative care programmes funded by the Palliative Care Initiative (PCI) of The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, carried out over Spring and Summer 2009.

The aim of the evaluations was to assess the impact that the funded programmes are having on individuals with life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers, the local communities and on the staff and volunteers who deliver palliative care services.

We commissioned a team of evaluators led by Professor Scott Murray from the University of Edinburgh to review the Maua Hospital Community Based Palliative Care Programme in Meru, Kenya, the Malawi Home Based Palliative Care Charitable Trust in Blantyre, and the Kitovu Mobile Palliative Care Service in Masaka, Uganda. The evaluations revealed that all three programmes are achieving considerable success in delivering high-quality and holistic palliative care in a context of poverty.

We have recently published four reports which outline the findings of the evaluation; three individual country reports and a fourth summary report. All four reports are intended to contribute to the construction of an evidence base that will highlight the difference that palliative care can make to the lives of those living with life-limiting conditions, their families and their communities.
To read more about the findings and download copies of the individual country and full reports, go to
http://www.theworkcontinues.org/landing.asp?id=3

I hope you find the reports useful
Best wishes,
Olivia Dix, Head of the Palliative Care Initiative
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, UK

BMJ Competition Win
Primary Palliative Care Research Group win BMJ competition

Palliative Care Events A comprehensive list of Palliative Care events can be found at: http://www.hospicecare.com/future.htm