scholarly journals Coordination of Care Within a Mobile Palliative Care Team and Organization of a Continuing Education Program for Health Professionals in Palliative Care

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 62s-62s
Author(s):  
A. Mubeneshayi Kananga
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Palliative Care Team ◽  
Care Team ◽  
Terminal Phase ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Mobile Team

Background: In DR Congo (DRC), many cancer patients in the terminal phase of their condition have minimal access to palliative care. There is a combined effect of poverty, the deterioration of the health system and the absence of a well-defined national policy on palliative care. Patients are for the most part abandoned to the care of inexperienced family members. Founded in 2009, Palliafamilli aims to improve the quality of life of patients requiring palliative care in the DRC by providing visits and care for patients, by striving to increase access to palliative care in the region and by informing, raising awareness and mobilizing key national stakeholders. In September 2018, Palliafamilli will launch a mobile palliative care team (MPCT) in partnership with the general hospital of Ndjili in Kinshasa. The MPCT is an interdisciplinary team consisting of physicians, nurses, a psychologist and a project manager; all experienced in accompaniment, symptom management and palliative emergency. It has a consultancy role for professionals, patients and their caregivers. Aim: Through a African Cancer Fellowship award, I will visit a mobile team of palliative care from CHRU Besançon, France, for one month in May 2018 to gain experience in designing and implementing best practices for a mobile palliative care team. Methods: I will work closely with the mobile palliative care team of the Besançon Regional Hospital Center to gain experience regarding the coordination and care administration of palliative care within a mobile team. I will also learn about the different programs of continuing education for health professionals, make comparisons and adapt the programs to the reality of DR Congo. Results: With a view to promoting access to palliative care patients, I intend to learn from the host organization the best practices that they apply to overcome communication difficulties with the patient and their relatives which can constitute delays to access to adequate care. This delay is more marked for patients suffering from cancer because the evolution of their pathology is unpredictable. The main barriers are the insufficient knowledge of patients' needs and the opportunities offered by palliative care. Upon my return, I will adapt the best practices learned in France to the DRC context during the launch of the new mobile palliative care team. Conclusion: In Congo, a cross-cutting approach is required to provide patients with palliative care and pain relief, as resources are limited, many people are in need of care, and there are few nurses and doctors empowered to provide care. An effective approach is to involve community or volunteer caregivers supervised by health professionals, and Palliafamilli is successful due in its multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach, with adaptation to cultural, social and economic specificities and its integration with existing health systems, focusing on primary health care and community and home care.

scholarly journals The Integration of Palliative Care in DR Congo “A Model Of Sustainability”: A Field Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 171s-171s
Author(s):  
A. Mubeneshayi Kananga
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Family Involvement ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Terminal Phase ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
International Colloquium

Background and context: In DR Congo, many cancer patients in the terminal phase of their condition have minimal access to palliative care. There is a combined effect of poverty, the deterioration of the health system and the absence of a well-defined national policy on palliative care. Patients are for the most part abandoned to the care of inexperienced family members. Driven by the fact that the number of palliative patients has been increasing steadily over the past five years, the Palliafamilli association and its partners have taken leadership in the fight for palliative care. The major issue that blocks palliative care in RD Congo is the lack of knowledge about palliative care both in the population and even in health professionals. Most patients are treated at home with strong family involvement in many aspects of care. Aim: To promote good health practices at the community level and equip them with the knowledge and means to prevent their health problems, with a focus on palliative care and to contribute to the implementation of the Strategy for Strengthening the Health System of DR Congo by facilitating a program of access to palliative care for the entire Congolese population. Strategy/Tactics: During the last 7 years, we have organized conferences, congresses, various training sessions on pain management, sensitization activities, capacity building courses and advocacy activities within the Ministry of Health for national palliative care guidelines. Program/Policy process: - The organization of two International Congress of Palliative Care in Kinshasa in April 2013 (550 participants) and September 2015 (700 participants) - Training of 3 health professionals on the palliative approach in Uganda (2013) - Participation at the Second Francophone Palliative Care Congress in Montreal 2013 - A palliative care training course at the University of Kinshasa in 2015 (115 participants) - The organization of the International Colloquium of Pediatric Palliative Care in Kinshasa in 2015 - Participation in the 4th International Francophone Congress of Palliative Care in Geneva (2017) - Participating in the drafting of national guidelines for palliative care within the Ministry of Health (2017) - Capacity building for two members of PalliaFamilli thanks to the scholarship offered by the UICC. What was learned: In DR Congo, palliative care and pain relief require a cross-cutting approach, as resources are limited, many people are in need of care, and there are few nurses and doctors empowered to provide care. An effective approach is to involve community or volunteer caregivers supervised by health professionals, and Palliafamilli is successful due in its multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach, with adaptation to cultural, social and economic specificities and its integration with existing health systems, focusing on primary health care and community and home care.

The approach for development of palliative care team database

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 901-905
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Watanabe ◽  
Miwako Eto ◽  
Keiichi Yamasaki
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Palliative Care Team ◽  
Care Team

Survival, Mortality, and Location of Death for Patients Seen by a Hospital-Based Palliative Care Team

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 903-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik K. Fromme ◽  
Paul B. Bascom ◽  
M.D. Smith ◽  
Susan W. Tolle ◽  
Lissi Hanson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Palliative Care Team ◽  
Care Team ◽  
Location Of Death

Collective soul: The spirituality of an interdisciplinary palliative care team

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHANE SINCLAIR ◽  
SHELLEY RAFFIN ◽  
JOSE PEREIRA ◽  
NANCY GUEBERT
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Palliative Care Team ◽  
Care Team ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Spiritual Journeys ◽  
Common Goals

Objective:Although spirituality as it relates to patients is gaining increasing attention, less is known about how health care professionals (HCP) experience spirituality personally or collectively in the workplace. This study explores the collective spirituality of an interdisciplinary palliative care team, by studying how individuals felt about their own spirituality, whether there was a shared sense of a team spirituality, how spirituality related to the care the team provided to patients and whether they felt that they provided spiritual care.Methods:A qualitative autoethnographic approach was used. The study was conducted in a 10-bed Tertiary Palliative Care Unit (TPCU) in a large acute-care referral hospital and cancer center. Interdisciplinary team members of the TPCU were invited to participate in one-to-one interviews and/or focus groups. Five interviews and three focus groups were conducted with a total of 20 participants.Results:Initially participants struggled to define spirituality. Concepts of spirituality relating to integrity, wholeness, meaning, and personal journeying emerged. For many, spirituality is inherently relational. Others acknowledged transcendence as an element of spirituality. Spirituality was described as being wrapped in caring and often manifests in small daily acts of kindness and of love, embedded within routine acts of caring. Palliative care served as a catalyst for team members' own spiritual journeys. For some participants, palliative care represented a spiritual calling. A collective spirituality stemming from common goals, values, and belonging surfaced.Significance of results:This was the first known study that focused specifically on the exploration of a collective spirituality. The culture of palliative care seems to foster spiritual reflection among health care professionals both as individuals and as a whole. While spirituality was difficult to describe, it was a shared experience often tangibly present in the provision of care on all levels.

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