|
How to best develop palliative care across Europe remains a challenge, but professionals and volunteers within each country need to collaborate, as new developments and initiatives are easier to put into practice through collaboration. The EAPC is in the process of developing this further, aiming for one voice one vision for palliative care throughout Europe. We need you as a member and as a collaborator, now and in the future, and you will find information on how to join the EAPC on the relevant section of our website (how to join).
The major source of funding for research and for development of new healthcare programs is the EU. Millions of Euros are available every year for high-quality projects, depending on whether your project fits the EU profile, but there are too few grants for palliative care projects. Over the next few years, we aim to campaign for major changes in EU grants regarding palliation. Through this vision and by talking with one voice to our national representatives at the relevant parliaments, we can reach these goals, and when we do, it will make it easier for you to apply for EU funding.
The EAPC congress is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world, and can be considered as the meeting point for all healthcare providers in our field. The main congresses to date have been a great success. We are now in the final stages of planning the 2003 congress at The Hague. A broad and challenging scientific programme has been organised, with content ranging from the molecular biology of pain through to symptom control, bereavement, ethics and much more. Delegates will also have the opportunity of visiting palliative care services and nursing homes during the congress.
Research in palliative care is increasing and two highly successful EAPC research forums have been held Berlin and Lyon as a result. The next EAPC Research Forum is scheduled to be held in Stresa, Italy in 2004. So that this forum is kept focused, we have limited the number of participants to a maximum of 500, so please keep yourself updated by visiting the relevant section of the website at regular intervals.
Research projects and abstracts are published in peer review journals, and for some time, we have been aware of the need for the association to have close links to such a journal. Recently, Palliative Medicine has become the EAPCs research journal. As you know, the European Journal of Palliative Care (EJPC) was founded by the EAPC and has for more than ten years successfully brought important multidisciplinary information to our members and to those who subscribe to the journal; the new collaboration with Palliative Medicine will not change this. EJPC will continue to be the journal of the EAPC, but the association is in need of both a research journal and a multidisciplinary journal, both of which need your input. Therefore, we are looking forward to hearing from you as a contributor and having you as a reader in the future.
Via a process of collaboration we hope to reach one of our main goals, that of achieving optimal palliative care for all who are in need of it. The EAPC will soon be able to support you in this by providing minimum standards for palliative care (including pre- and postgraduate training) and minimum requirement for palliative care services.
All of these and many other subjects will be presented and discussed during the congress in The Hague in 2003; I hope to see you all in April.
Stein Kaasa, President of the EAPC
|
