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EAPC projects or Taskforces
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The development of guidelines and a core curriculum for the palliative care for people with neurological disease – an EAPC Task Force
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The Neurology Taskforce met at the EAPC Congress in Vienna. There has been progress and two main areas are being developed:
- Guidelines on the palliative care for people with neurological diseases are being produced, in association with the European Federation of Neurological societies. The main areas that will be covered are: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and cerebral tumours.
- A project is planned to develop a curriculum in neurology and palliative care – with areas of education in palliative care for neurologists and neurology training for palliative care professionals. This will need a wider involvement and funding, including the World federation of Neurology.
It is hoped that the guidelines will be completed within the coming year and the curriculum development would start in 2010, if funding can be obtained.
The taskforce hopes that these developments will encourage collaboration between palliative care and neurology services, benefiting patients with progressive neurological disease.
Dr David Oliver (UK)
Chair
Aims:
- To develop guidelines for the care of people with neurological disease.
- To develop a core curriculum on neurological pallitaive care for both palliative care professionals and neurology health care professionals
Members:
Chair: Dr David Oliver, Wisdom Hospice, Rochester and University of Kent, UK
Dr. Daniela Tarquini, Roma, Italy
Prof. Gian Domenico Borasio, Klinikum der Universität München. Germany
Dr. Rachel Burman, King’s College, London, UK
Dr. Augusto Caraceni, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy
Dr. Stefan Lorenzl, University of Munich, German
Prof. Raymond Voltz, University of Cologne, Germany
Project Milestones:
- May 2009: 11th EAPC Congress – draft guidelines for discussion at a specific session on neurological palliative care.
- October 2009: 19th World Congress of the WFN – draft core curriculum for discussion at a session on neurological palliative care.
- 2011: Guidelines finalised for presentation at the 12th EAPC Congress
Project summary:
The aim of the project is to increase awareness if the palliative care needs of people with neurological disease – primarily, but not exclusively, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (motor neurone disease), multiple sclerosis, Huntingdon’s disease and Parkinson’s Disease. This will be incresingly important with the ageing population in Europe as increasingly people will have neurological disease, as their main problem or as a co-morbidity.
The project will aim to develop guidelines to improve the care of people with neurological disease, by increasing awareness of problems and issues experienced by this population both within palliative care and neurology. This will help in the collaborative approach to holistic care – involving both neurological and palliative care services. The developent of a core curriculum for all professionals, in both neurological services and palliative care services, will allow the development of greater awareness and more effective managemet of this patient group, so that the quality of life of patients and families can be improved.
Other Institutions proposed for collaboration:
European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) – there will be collaboration on the development of guidelines. In particular the Scientific Committee. World Federation of Neurology (WFN)– there will be collaboration on the development of both guidelines and core curriculum.
Download here the Task Force Proposal Form
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