Tania Pastrana1, Isabel Torres-Vigil2, Liliana De Lima3. 1. Department of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany tpastrana@ukaachen.de. 2. Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. 3. International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), Houston, TX, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Recently, the Latin American Association for Palliative Care developed 10 indicators to monitor the development of palliative care and enhance the development of regional and national strategies. AIM: To compare the status of palliative care development across Latin American nations using the Latin American Association for Palliative Care indicators and to classify the countries into three levels of palliative care development. METHODS: A secondary analysis using the following indicators (number of indicators in each category): Policy (1), Education (3), Service Provision (3), and Opioids (3). A Latin American Association for Palliative Care Index was constructed adding the standard score (z-score) of each indicator. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America. RESULTS: Indicators significantly associated with the number of palliative care services per million inhabitants included: the proportion of medical schools with palliative care at the undergraduate level (p = 0.003), the number of accredited physicians working in palliative care (p = 0.001), and opioids consumed per capita (p = 0.032). According to the Latin American Association for Palliative Care Index, Costa Rica registered the highest score (8.1). Three ranking groups were built to measure palliative care development; Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina ranked in the high group, while Bolivia, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala ranked in the lowest group. CONCLUSION: Most of the Latin American Association for Palliative Care indicators are useful for assessing national levels of palliative care development. These indicators may be applicable to other world regions. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the specificity of each indicator.
BACKGROUND: Recently, the Latin American Association for Palliative Care developed 10 indicators to monitor the development of palliative care and enhance the development of regional and national strategies. AIM: To compare the status of palliative care development across Latin American nations using the Latin American Association for Palliative Care indicators and to classify the countries into three levels of palliative care development. METHODS: A secondary analysis using the following indicators (number of indicators in each category): Policy (1), Education (3), Service Provision (3), and Opioids (3). A Latin American Association for Palliative Care Index was constructed adding the standard score (z-score) of each indicator. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America. RESULTS: Indicators significantly associated with the number of palliative care services per million inhabitants included: the proportion of medical schools with palliative care at the undergraduate level (p = 0.003), the number of accredited physicians working in palliative care (p = 0.001), and opioids consumed per capita (p = 0.032). According to the Latin American Association for Palliative Care Index, Costa Rica registered the highest score (8.1). Three ranking groups were built to measure palliative care development; Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina ranked in the high group, while Bolivia, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala ranked in the lowest group. CONCLUSION: Most of the Latin American Association for Palliative Care indicators are useful for assessing national levels of palliative care development. These indicators may be applicable to other world regions. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the specificity of each indicator.
Authors: Isabel Torres-Vigil; Lu Ann Aday; Cielito Reyes-Gibby; Liliana De Lima; Angelica P Herrera; Tito Mendoza; Charles S Cleeland Journal: J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother Date: 2008
Authors: Carlos Centeno; David Clark; Thomas Lynch; Javier Racafort; David Praill; Liliana De Lima; Anthony Greenwood; Luis Alberto Flores; Simon Brasch; Amelia Giordano Journal: Palliat Med Date: 2007-09 Impact factor: 4.762
Authors: Liliana De Lima; Roberto Wenk; Eric Krakauer; Frank Ferris; Michael Bennett; Scott Murray; Eduardo Bruera; Lukas Radbruch Journal: J Palliat Med Date: 2012-12-20 Impact factor: 2.947
Authors: Dagny Faksvåg Haugen; Karl Ove Hufthammer; Christina Gerlach; Katrin Sigurdardottir; Marit Irene Tuen Hansen; Grace Ting; Vilma Adriana Tripodoro; Gabriel Goldraij; Eduardo Garcia Yanneo; Wojciech Leppert; Katarzyna Wolszczak; Lair Zambon; Juliana Nalin Passarini; Ivete Alonso Bredda Saad; Martin Weber; John Ellershaw; Catriona Rachel Mayland Journal: Oncologist Date: 2021-06-17