The World Health Organization (WHO) describes palliative care as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illnesses, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psycho social, and spiritual. Each year, 40 million people are estimated to be in need of palliative care with 78% of these people living in low and middle-income countries. In spite of this, only about 14% of people worldwide who need palliative care currently receive it. Given these statistics, it is evident that adequate training on palliative care among health care professionals is essential in improving access to palliative care. This course aims at delivering basic training in palliative care to health care and social care workers and promoting the use of a multidisciplinary approach to palliative care.
The course tackles a wide array of topics categorized under 6 modules which will serve to:
Introduce trainees to palliative care
Provide knowledge and skills on effective communication in palliative care
Equip trainees with knowledge and skills necessary for the assessment and management of common symptoms in palliative care and the assessment and management of pain
Familiarize trainees with the common psycho social and spiritual problems that people with life-threatening illnesses face and how they can be managed
Improve comprehension of the elements that reinforce sustainability in palliative care services
