The international observatory on end of life care: a global view of palliative care development.

The International Observatory on End of Life Care (IOELC) was established at Lancaster University, UK, in 2003. Its aims are to provide clear and accessible research-based information about hospice and palliative care provision in the international context. Dissemination is via the Observatory web site (www.eolc-observatory.net), as well as through published articles, monographs, reports, and other media, in ways that facilitate cross-national comparative analysis and stimulate practical development. Primary research studies and reviews are undertaken to generate relevant information. We describe the methods adopted by the IOELC and the range of projects recently undertaken. In particular, we give details of the IOELC categorization of hospice and palliative care development, which can be applied at the country level to facilitate international comparison. We show how this has been used to create a "world map" of hospice and palliative care provision and indicate some of the uses to which this can be put and the ways in which it can be refined over time.