Map of Palliative Care development in Europe

The EAPC Task Force on the Development of Palliative Care in Europe started its work in 2003. In 2005, after carefully define the methodology and set up the personnel and material resources, four studies were started; two about published scientific literature and two international surveys focused for understanding and evaluating the development of PC in Europe. We report here some aspects of these surveys.

The Facts Questionnaire (FQ), conducted amongst ‘key collaborators’ (KCs) in each European country to gather concrete data and figures on the availability, organization and delivery of palliative care countrywide.

“KCs” have been approached because of their palliative care expertise and active involvement in the development of the discipline in their country.

The questionnaire gathers data about the number and type of specific resources available; the number and type of professionals involved; the target population; the funding of services; and the accreditation of professional in each country.

Some of the data gathered with the FQ can be interpreted as a sign of the degree of development of palliative care in each country. Consequently the future development of palliative care in a country could depend to a large extent on the position of the national palliative care movement. Combining current data obtained with the ‘Facts’ questionnaire with other data on the state of palliative care might enable the production of an overall ranking of palliative care development for each country.

By May 10th, 2006, replies from 45/52 countries had been received (88% of the population studied). The FQ provides data that allow a preliminary comparison of the different features of the development of palliative care in Europe.

We presented a map of preliminary data at the last EAPC Research Forum held in Venice, 25 - 27 May 2006 as a 'work in progress'; these are the best estimates we have been able to achieve at present, using all our combined efforts and sources of verification, and other studies published.

A graphic representation of the results shows the first Map of Specific Palliative Care Resources in Europe. The Map includes the total number of services per million inhabitants in each country, as well as the proportion of existing services of each type (Domiciliary Palliative Care Teams, Support or Mobile Teams in Hospitals and Hospices). Other resources available for palliative care patients as Day Centers or Nursing Homes and the resources for paediatric patients will be reported in the EAPC Atlas of Palliative Care that the Task Force will publish in the future.