Palliative Care: Making it Work (FutureLearn)

We introduce the concept, how it can be integrated with other types of care and look at examples of this being done well. Drawing on research from EU funded project InSup-C, we learn how integrated palliative care is managed across five European countries. The International Observatory on End of Life Care coordinate the programme.

What topics will you cover?

• Palliative care - including key components, types of services, pain control and education.
• What are the barriers to palliative care?
• The concept of integrated palliative care and its benefits.
• Palliative care guidelines.
• Case studies of good practice from 5 European countries.

What will you achieve?

• To develop an understanding of integrated palliative care and its importance to patients, their family carers and healthcare professionals
• To explore how palliative care can be integrated with other types of care, determining the best ways to deliver care to people who have advanced cancer, heart failure or lung disease as they approach the end of their lives
• To engage in online discussion with others and reflect on integrated palliative care provision within your own country based on your own knowledge and experience
• To assess how integrated palliative care is managed across five European countries, drawing on results of the InSuP-C project and examples of initiatives within these different countries
• To engage with a number of palliative care topics including: its development across Europe; palliative care services; pain control; palliative care education; and essential components of palliative care
• To explore in detail some of the InSuP-C project results, including: continuity of care; living alone; the role of the general practitioner (GP); and communication and honesty