Worldwide, it is estimated only 1 in 10 people who need
palliative care are receiving it and global demand for care for people with life threatening illnesses
will continue to grow as
populations age and the burden of noncommunicable diseases rises. By 2060, the need for
palliative care is expected to nearly double.
The world therefore
needs urgent and concerted action to scale up access to quality palliative care services. To address this need, WHO
is releasing two new resources to support countries in assessing the
development of palliative care and improving the quality of palliative care
services.
The two resources are being released in advance of World Hospice
and Palliative Care Day on 9 October 2021.
They
include a WHO technical report providing a globally applicable and robust set
of palliative care indicators for
countries. These indicators can be used to assess and monitor the
provision of palliative care services in countries worldwide. The report aims to create a
global consensus on indicators to measure palliative care development and its
use will provide reliable data to support decision-making by informing health
priorities and resource allocation.
The second resource is a technical brief on quality health
services and palliative care, looking at practical approaches and resources to
support policy, strategy, and practice.
The brief will
guide action at the national, district and point of care to improve the quality
of palliative care services.
To date, monitoring the existence and maturity of palliative care
services has been most often done by assessing the consumption of opioid
analgesics. Although opioids are vital for pain relief, they are only one
component required for the development of optimal palliative care services.
At a global level, harmonizing data across countries provides a
clearer picture of global needs and challenges in palliative care, such as
inequity. Measurement is also a starting point for identifying success stories
and learning from countries to design effective improvement strategies for
application in other settings. The indicators will assist all those working in
palliative care to identify tangible steps that can be considered by countries
to expand access to quality palliative care for those who need it.
The provision of palliative care in most countries lags far
behind the need for these essential services. Each year, it is estimated over
56.8 million people, including 25.7 million in the last year of life, are in
need of palliative care, of whom 78% live in low- and middle-income countries.
COVID-19 has highlighted the need for palliative care in all
places and settings to relieve suffering at the end of life such as the physical suffering caused
by breathlessness or the
mental pain resulting from separation from loved ones. The pandemic also
reminds us of the need for all health professionals to have some training in a
palliative care approach:
the demand for palliative services exceeds what can be provided by specialist teams alone.
Palliative care improves the lives of patients and their families
who face the challenges associated with life-threatening illness and serious
health-related suffering including, but not limited to, end-of-life care.
Optimal palliative care in countries requires: a supportive policy environment,
empowered communities, palliative care research, access to essential palliative
care medicines, strong education and training systems for palliative care
workers and professionals, and attention to the quality of palliative care services.
Palliative care is a human right and a moral imperative of all health systems.