Events > World Hospice & Palliative Care Day

World Hospice & Palliative Care Day

August 6, 2023

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a significant annual event that brings together people from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations to unite in celebrating and advocating for hospice and palliative care services worldwide.

Palliative care is evidence-based care aimed at addressing health-related suffering to improve the quality of life for patients with serious progressive illnesses and their families. It is not limited to end-of-life care but extends throughout the entire course of the illness, starting from diagnosis. The benefits of palliative care extend beyond the patient to include their caregivers and loved ones, including grief and bereavement support.

This year’s theme – ‘Compassionate Communities: Together For Palliative Care,’ puts a spotlight on the need to work with communities to build compassion to care for people, assist people to live in the place they call home, connect people to services, raise awareness about end-of-life issues. It calls for more to be done to develop the capacity of others in the community so that more can be done to support people with serious health-related suffering.

A ROAD MAP TO PALLIATIVE CARE SUPPORT

Respecting Patient’s Choice of Preferred Place of Care

The Palliative Care Support Roadmap demonstrates the typical journey of a patient who may require palliative care. It describes the pathway the patient may take when he is unwell and requires medical attention.

Pathway 1 [mark with orange solid line] – The patient’s illness and palliative care needs remains at the community level and is managed between his General Practitioner (GP) and the community palliative care provider.

1 – The patient will seek consultation with a GP in a Klinik Kesihatan or private practice.
2 (a) – If the GP is able to diagnose the health issue or is already aware of the patient’s underlying condition, and has the appropriate skills to determine the palliative care needs of the patient, basic palliative care may be provided directly.
2 (b) – If the GP determines that the patient’s palliative care needs may be more complex, the patient will be referred to a community palliative care provider which has the capabilities to manage the patient’s more complex pain and other symptoms.

Pathway 2 [mark with white solid line] – The patient seeks consultation with a chronic disease specialist (CDS).

1 – The patient is referred to or seeks consultation with a CDS.
2(a) – If palliative care support is indicated and the patient prefers to be at home, he will be referred directly to a community palliative care provider.
2(b) – If the patient prefers to be in the hospital, he will be referred to a palliative care specialist within the hospital. In hospital, a patient’s care goals may change as time progresses. Should the patient share that he prefers to be at home, the hospital palliative care team will work with the community palliative care provider to arrange for the transfer home.

Studies across the world have demonstrated that most people will prefer to be cared for at home if they had the choice.

In Malaysia, a public survey conducted by Hospis Malaysia in 2016 revealed the following:

On this World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, we call upon governments, policymakers, and providers to support solidarity among community members up to and at the end of life. Globally, it is recognised that 95% of the time that anyone who is dying, caregiving or grieving is spent outside formal episodes of professional services. It is the responsibility of communities of all stripe to address the support needs of that 95%.

Let us harness this and call for more healthcare provision to be closer to communities where people build their lives and prefer to live and die, and work with these communities to ensure that all of us live well until the end!

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