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The “La Caixa” Foundation and WHO Collaborating Center Spanish National Program for enhancing psychosocial and spiritual palliative care for patients with advanced diseases, and their families: Preliminary findings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 August 2011

Xavier Gómez-Batiste ,
Montse Buisan ,
M. Pau González ,
David Velasco ,
Verónica de Pascual ,
Jose Espinosa ,
Anna Novellas ,
Marisa Martínez-Muñoz ,
Marc Simón  and
Candela Calle
...Show all authors
Xavier Gómez-Batiste*
Affiliation:
The “Qualy” End-of-Life Observatory/WHO Collaborating Center for Palliative Care Programs, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
Montse Buisan
Affiliation:
Area of Social Integration, La Caixa Foundation, Obra Social La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain
M. Pau González
Affiliation:
The “Qualy” End-of-Life Observatory/WHO Collaborating Center for Palliative Care Programs, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
David Velasco
Affiliation:
Area of Social Integration, La Caixa Foundation, Obra Social La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain
Verónica de Pascual
Affiliation:
Area of Social Integration, La Caixa Foundation, Obra Social La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain
Jose Espinosa
Affiliation:
The “Qualy” End-of-Life Observatory/WHO Collaborating Center for Palliative Care Programs, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
Anna Novellas
Affiliation:
The “Qualy” End-of-Life Observatory/WHO Collaborating Center for Palliative Care Programs, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
Marisa Martínez-Muñoz
Affiliation:
The “Qualy” End-of-Life Observatory/WHO Collaborating Center for Palliative Care Programs, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
Marc Simón
Affiliation:
Area of Social Integration, La Caixa Foundation, Obra Social La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain
Candela Calle
Affiliation:
Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
Jaume Lanaspa
Affiliation:
Area of Social Integration, La Caixa Foundation, Obra Social La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain
William Breitbart
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Xavier Gómez-Batiste, The “Qualy” End-of-Life Observatory/WHO Collaborating Center for Palliative Care Programs, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Hospital Duràn-Reynals, Avda Granvia 199, 08907 Hospitalet (Barcelona), Spain. E-mail: xgomez.whocc@iconcologia.net
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Abstract

Objective:

The psycho-social needs of patients with advanced chronic illness and their families include emotional, spiritual, and bereavement care. With a funding initiative by the La Caixa Foundation and design by the WHO Collaborating Center, we developed and implemented a program for the comprehensive care of terminally-ill individuals and their families, in Spain. The intent was to improve the psycho-social and spiritual dimensions of care, to generate experience and evidence, to explore models, and to act as catalyst in the Spanish National Strategy for Palliative Care.

Method:

We reviewed the process of design, implementation, and initial evaluation of the program at 18 months.

Results:

Thirty psycho-social teams’ (PST) acting as support teams projects were initiated. There were 120 full-time healthcare professionals appointed (58% clinical psychologists). These professionals received training through a comprehensive postgraduate course, and all used the same documentation. Some results were collated 18 months post-implementation. The total number of patients attended to was 10,954, and the number of relatives was 17,715. The preliminary clinical outcomes show a significant improvement in well-being, and a decrease in anxiety and insomnia, although there was a smaller impact on alleviating depression. Healthcare professionals collated results on satisfaction with palliative care (PC) services.

Significance of results:

Based on these preliminary results, we suggest that the PST can be a model of organization that is effective and efficient in improving the psycho-social and spiritual aspects of care of terminally ill patients. Further follow-up and evaluation with validated tools are the main goals for the immediate future.

Keywords

Psychosocial careSpiritual carecare of patients with advanced illnesses and their familiesPsychosocial servicesPsychosocial programsPalliative care services
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , September 2011 , pp. 239 - 249
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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