Encuentro sobre educación de cuidado paliativo en Latinoamérica. Recomendaciones sobre enseñanza en el pregrado y en el primer nivel de atención de salud

In many Latin American countries Palliative Care development is still in the initial stages. A key reason is that the training of health professionals in this discipline, although intense and gradually increasing, is still insufficient, and with variable quality. The different institutions and organizations involved in the promotion and implementation of Palliative Care sponsored the first regional meeting on technical aspects of Palliative Care teaching to undergraduates and primary care health professionals. The meeting was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in November 2012, and was attended by 60 professionals from diverse disciplines with teaching activity in Palliative Care from 11 different Latin American countries. Key issues in basic education in Palliative Care were identified and analyzed, challenges were identified, and recommendations were made overcome them. All the participants were in agreement that palliative care should be available and accessible for the majority of the patient population with life threatening conditions. Also, with the evidence that indicates that more patients may be able to receive appropriate care provided by primary care health care professionals, as long as they have the basic palliative care knowledge, skills and attitudes. This report describes the design and organization of the meeting and presents the results and recommendations related to teaching at the undergraduate and the primary care level.