121 Background: In 2016, an inpatient hospice palliative care ward was initiated in Beijing Haidian Hospital, which was the first pilot study program in Beijing. Challenges of implementing the program and the process to facilitate change in the hospital’s and society culture in China. Methods: This program has been partnered with Ovation Health International and Hospice Palliative Care Alliance of China Foundation at beginning of the program development in order to streamline the program design and establish standard operating procedures. The program was operated by a multi-disciplinary team which is the first of these kinds of team structure in Chinese health system, including the program manager, physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologic counsellors, chaplains, and volunteers. Results: The program has served over 200 patients and their families in the first year. The inpatient hospice unit has 2 specially decorated rooms with 6 in-patient beds, a meeting room, and a farewell room. The program has expanded its palliative care counselling service to the entire hospital and affiliated community nursing homes and will plan to expand the number of beds to 20 in the inpatient hospice unit. The implementation of the program has been full of obstacles, encompassing the lack of trained professionals, limited financial resources, higher staff turnover, and professional misunderstanding and public rejection. Now upgraded to a National Pilot model of China, the trial program team led by the program manager, has overcome core barriers/challenges in team building, team enablement, resource supporting, public education, and society awareness to keep the program growth. Conclusions: The lessons learned from the experience of developing the first hospital-based hospice palliative care program in the capital of China will be presented. Particularly, barriers and challenges, both modifiable and non-modifiable, will be shared as well as facilitating factors. The authors will share the pathway to partner across disciplines, with policy makers, and in research, education, and practice. This helps the team in the creation of new knowledge and in continuing to establish the evidence-based value of palliative care in China.
Implementing the first regional hospice palliative care program in Ontario: the Champlain region as a case study
