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updated: 14 May 2010
About
the EAPC
Mission Statement
The EAPC brings together many voices to forge a vision of excellence in palliative care that meets the needs of patients and their families.
It strives to develop and promote palliative care in Europe through information, education and research using multi-professional collaboration, while engaging with stakeholders at all levels. |
SUMMARY
The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) was established
on 12 December 1988, with 42 founding members and following
important initiatives by Professor Vittorio Ventafridda and
the Floriani Foundation. The aim of the EAPC is to promote
palliative care in Europe and to act as a focus for all of
those who work, or have an interest, in the field of palliative
care at the scientific, clinical and social levels.
EAPC operates with the following aims:
• Promote the implementation of existing knowledge;
train those who at any level are involved with the care of
patients and families affected by incurable and advanced disease;
and promote study and research.
• Bring together those who study and practise the disciplines
involved in the care of patients and families affected by
advanced disease (doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists
and volunteers).
•
Promote and sponsor publications or periodicals concerning
palliative care.
•
Unify national palliative care organizations and establish
an international net-work for the exchange of information
and expertise.
•
Address the ethical problems associated with the care of terminally
ill patients
Since
1990 the Head Office of EAPC has been based at the Division
of Rehabilitation and Palliative Care within the National
Cancer Institute in Milan. In 1998 the EAPC was awarded the
status of NGO – Non Governmental Organisation of the
Council of Europe, and was transformed to “Onlus”
(Non profit organisation with social utility).
By 2010 the EAPC counted individual members in 40 countries, with collective members from 46 National Associations in 26 European countries, representing a movement of around 60000 health care workers and volunteers working or interested in palliative care. (www.eapcnet.org/Howtojoin/memberscolllist.html)
Information about membership is available at: www.eapcnet.org/Howtojoin/Howtojoin.html
Figure
1 shows the development of the number of Associations at national
level having joined the EAPC collectively
Figure
2 shows the distribution of those Associations on the European
territory.
EAPC
initiatives
The Web: www.eapcnet.org
Our
website has become a crucial communication tool to update
on the latest developments and report in detail on the activities
of EAPC.
The Scientific journals:
European
Journal of Palliative Care (EJPC)
The EAPC Journal. Editor in chief Dr Julia Riley, London, UK.
The EJPC is the journal of the EAPC. It is a multidisciplinary
journal, published 6 times a year. EJPC concentrates on reviews
and current awareness of palliative care on the European scene.
Palliative
Medicine (PM)
The Research Journal of the EAPC. Editor in chief Geoffrey
Hanks, Bristol. UK.
Palliative Medicine is the leading peer reviewed research
journal of palliative care in Europe. It is published 8 times
a year and is available by subscription to the printed version
and to E access.
The “Research Network”
– Chair Stein Kaasa
The Board of Directors of the EAPC consider research a key
issue for the future of palliative care and decided in 1996
to nominate Franco De Conno, Italy to chair and put together
a Steering Committee for research. This group has organized
eleven expert working groups on a variety of topics for which
a common European position or recommendations are needed,
has carried out a cross sectional survey and initiated two
research projects (EPOS & PatC). By April 2007 13 papers
had been published which are listed and/or downloadable at:
www.eapcnet.org/publications/research.asp
Following the input of the Research Network an extended research
collaborative was established coordinated by the Pain and
Palliation Research Group in Trondheim. The collaborative’s
application to the 6th Framework Programme was successfully
evaluated in 2006 and received a 2.8 mill Euro funding from
the European Commission for a 3 year period, starting from
1 November 2006. The European Palliative Care Research Collaborative
(EPCRC) consists of eight participating centres in six European
countries: UK, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Norway.
In June 2007 Dr. De Conno stood down from his position as
chair of the Research Network. The president thanked him in
the name of all the EAPC and nominated him Honorary Chair.
Stein Kaasa was confirmed as new Chair of the Research Network.
The European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC) was officially launced on October 15, 2009. The opening was given extensive publicity in Norwegian newspapers as well as in Italy. PRC is based at NTNU's Faculty of Medicine and at St. Olavs Hospital/Trondheim University Hospital, and was established with recommendations and support from the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). The Norwegian Cancer Society has awarded a major grant of 15 Million NOK (1.8 Million Euro) to help establish the new centre.
Additional support has been awarded by the Open Society Institute (USA), the Floriani Foundation (Italy) and by an unrestricted grant from Nycomed. The centre will coordinate groups and individual researchers across Europe along with researchers in the USA, Canada and Australia.
The
EAPC Forum on Research in Palliative Care
In December 2000 the Research Network organised the first1st
Research Forum of the EAPC held in Berlin, Germany The Forum
was such a success that the EAPC Board of Directors decided
to continue to organise those meetings every second year in
between the EAPC Congresses. View the report at: http://www.eapcnet.org/congresses/berlin2000.html
The
following countries have been hosting the Research Forum since
then:
2nd
Research Forum: Lyon, France (May 2002)
3rd
Research Forum: Stresa, Italy (June 2004)
4th
Research Forum: Venice, Italy (June 2006)
The
5th
Forum will be held in Trondheim, Norway in June 2008.
The
6th Forum will be held in the UK in 2010.
The
EAPC Congresses
Since 1990 the EAPC has organised 9 successful Congresses
with worldwide participation: Reports of previous and Web
sites of future congresses can be accessed at: www.eapcnet.org/congresses/congresses.html
1990
October: Paris, France
1992
October: Brussels, Belgium
1994
June: Bergen, Norway
1995
December: Barcelona, Spain
1997
September: London, United Kingdom
1999
September: Geneva, Switzerland
2001
April: Palermo, Italy
2003
April: Den Haag, the Netherlands
2005
April: Aachen, Germany
2007
June: Budapest, Hungary
2009
May: Vienna, Austria
Future
congresses:
2011 May: Lisbon, Portugal
The
call for the bid for the 2011 congress is open. More information
at:
www.eapcnet.org/congresses/bids&conditions.html
The Taskforces & Projects
Taskforces are generally designed to be of limited duration,
but some turn out to continue to function as small expert groups
or networks in a special field and act as advising body to the
EAPC Board of Directors. For detailed information click here
Milan, Italy, May 2010
Amelia Giordano & Heidi Blumhuber
EAPC Head office
National Cancer Institute
Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milano, Italy
amelia.giordano@istitutotumori.mi.it & heidi.blumhuber@istitutotumori.mi.it
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