Palliative care in low- and medium-resource countries

Abstract: Low- and medium-resource countries are facing a significant increase in the incidence of noncommunicable diseases such as cancer. Unfortunately, the majority of patients with cancer present with advanced disease, and disease-directed treatment may be unlikely to be effective and/or not available. Globally, there will be a growing need for palliative care services. There has been significant progress in the provision and integration of palliative care into the health care policy and systems. Nonetheless, palliative care services vary significantly between regions of the world and also between countries in the same region. Some common barriers to care include the lack of a trained workforce to provide palliative care, lack of availability of opioids or the restriction of their use, cultural attitudes of physicians and patients, and also funding. Despite these challenges, there are examples of low- and medium-resource countries that are providing excellent palliative care that is being integrated ...

The Value of Continuity between Primary Care and Surgical Care in Colon Cancer

Improving continuity between primary care and cancer care is critical for improving cancer outcomes and curbing cancer costs. A dimension of continuity, we investigated how regularly patients receive their primary care and surgical care for colon cancer from the same hospital and whether this affects mortality and costs.Receiving primary care and surgical care at the same hospital, compared to different hospitals, was associated with lower costs but still similar survival among stage I-III colon cancer patients. Nonetheless, health care policy which encourages further integration between primary care and cancer care in order to improve outcomes and decrease costs will need to address the significant proportion of patients receiving health care across more than one hospital.

Implementing targeted cancer screening programmes in the Czech Republic

The Ministry of Health developed a national cancer screening programme to increase population uptake of existing screening services. Through this programme, health insurance companies proactively send at-risk enrolees personalized invitations to participate in cancer screenings; strong Ministerial leadership provided an overarching direction for the initiative, promoting alignment across key stakeholders; use of available data helped identify key problems and supported tailoring of activities to meet observed gaps in service delivery; national information campaigns, run through various media channels, supported efforts by educating the public on the importance of cancer screenings; the initiative prioritized a proactive approach to addressing cancer mortality, promoting a shift away from the reliance on reactive service provision.

Developing a national cancer plan to coordinate the fight against cancer in Luxembourg

A national cancer plan was developed by the Ministry of Health to unite current services and coordinate the fight against cancer; ten priority areas for action were identified by the initiative: governance, health promotion, prevention, screening, diagnostics, treatment, rehabilitation, resources, patients’ rights and research; strong government commitment was essential for realizing a coordinated national approach; involving a diverse range of stakeholders from the beginning helped to guide the initiative; implementation of the national cancer plan is still in the early phases and any improvements will take time to observe.

Strengthening cancer screening in Montenegro

In 2008, the Government of Montenegro released the National Cancer Control Plan. Responding to recommendations proposed by the Plan, the Institute of Public Health developed a comprehensive cancer screening programme for colorectal cancer. Following successful piloting, the colorectal cancer screening programme is now being expanded to cover other priority cancers; partnerships with stakeholders outside of the health sector provided access to technologies and tools for engaging the public. Text messaging was the main tool used for outreach; moving from a reactive to a proactive approach was important for reaching and engaging the target population and increasing uptake of screenings; a strong information system supported a data-driven initiative design, facilitated implementation and enabled monitoring and evaluation.

Integrating occupational therapy into cancer care in the Netherlands

Reade – an organization specializing in rehabilitative care – introduced a package of services specifically tailored to the needs of cancer patients and cancer survivors; support from Reade’s management in developing protocols and negotiating with national-level actors was essential for the implementation of the initiative; providers within Reade were brought together to apply their skills to treating the complex needs of cancer patients and survivors. Providers work in multidisciplinary teams to enable the delivery of more comprehensive care; initiative leaders built strong working relationships with external providers. This helped bring other providers on board with Reade’s new care concept and generate referrals; a national occupational therapy network supported knowledge sharing and enabled the wider dissemination of lessons learned by the initiative.

Integrated Care Planning for Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review

There has been growing emphasis on the use of integrated care plans to deliver cancer care. However little is known about how integrated care plans for cancer patients are developed including featured core activities, facilitators for uptake and indicators for assessing impact. A scoping review was conducted to explore the components of integrated care plans and contextual factors that influence design and uptake. 

Barriers to, and opportunities for, palliative care development in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

The 22 countries of WHO´s Eastern Mediterranean Region are experiencing an increase in the burden of non-communicable deseases (NCDs), including cancer. Of the six WHO regions, the Eastern Mediterranean Region is projected to have the greatest increase in cancer incidence in the next 15 years. With increasing numbers of deaths from cancer, palliative care should be available to relieve suffering in patients with advance desease and at the end of life. However, in the Eastern Mediterranean Reion, the palliative care available is variable and inconsistent. 

Communication and integration: a qualitative analysis of perspectives among Middle Eastern oncology healthcare professionals on the integration of complementary medicine in supportive cancer care

The use of complementary and traditional medicine (CTM ) in Middle Eastern countries is widespread, including among patients with cancer. Perspectives of oncology healthcare professionals (HCPs) in this region regarding the integration of CTM within conventional supportive cancer care were explored

International cooperation in public health in Martinique: geostrategic utility for cancer surveillance in the Caribbean

Cooperation in public health and in oncology in particular, is currently a major issue for the island of Martinique, given its geopolitical position in the Caribbean region. The region of Martinique shares certain public health problems with other countries of the Caribbean, notably in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with cancer. This study presents a roadmap of cooperation priorities and activities in cancer surveillance and oncology in Martinique.

The Impact of Patient-Centered Care on Cancer Patients’ QOC, Self-Efficacy, and Trust Towards Doctors: Analysis of a National Survey

Patient-centered approaches impact cancer patients’ perceptions and outcomes in different ways. This study explores the impact of patient-centered care practices on cancer patients’ quality-of-care (QOC), self-efficacy, and trust in their doctors.

Integrated care for older people with cancer: a primary care focus

Estimates from a 2023 study indicate that cancer will continue to grow as a leading cause of health and economic burden alongside global population ageing.

Consequently, health-care providers, including primary care teams, will increasingly face substantial challenges in caring for older people with cancer who have evolving, complex, and specific needs. More than 60% of new cancer diagnoses occur in adults aged 65 years and older in high-income countries, underpinning the importance of empowering primary health-care providers (including general practitioners, community nurses, allied health professionals, and pharmacists) to provide high-quality care to this at-risk population.

Nevertheless, geriatric oncology remains peripheral in the awareness of primary health-care providers. Therefore, raising awareness of the growing importance of geriatric oncology and fostering collaboration between primary health-care providers and oncogeriatric teams is essential to ensure optimal care for older people with cancer.