Palliative care is a medical specialty in 18 out of the 53 European countries, but Spain is not among them. This fact has been reflected in Specialisation in Palliative Medicine for Physicians in Europe 2014, a supplement to the Atlas of Palliative Care in Europe presented in 2013. This work has been promoted by the ATLANTES Research Program of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at the University of Navarra, la Accademia delle Scienze di Medicina Palliativa and the European Society of Palliative Care (EAPC).

This work has been presented today at the VIII World Congress on Palliative Care Research which is being held until June 7 in Lleida under the auspices of the EAPC.

The document provides information on the characteristics of the specialty and the year in which each of these nations obtained the specialty: United Kingdom (1987), Ireland (1995), Poland (1999), Rumania (2000), Malta (2003), Czech Republic (2004), Germany (2004), Finland (2007), France (2008), Georgia (2008), Latvia (2009), Norway (2011), Israel (2012), Italy (2012), Slovakia (2012), Hungary (2013), Portugal (2013) and Denmark (2014).  It also contrasts the data with those of the three leading countries in the field of health: Australia (2004), U.S.A. (2006) and Canada (2014).

As shown in this document, in the past five years, 10 out of the 18 countries have recognized this specialty, subspecialty, special training area or the equivalent. There is a clear tendency to establish expertise in this area as a condition for obtaining a place in palliative medicine within the health system, although it is not yet mandatory in most countries.

Unification of the educational curriculum in Europe

To access the programs, a previous clinical specialty is required. However, while in five countries this is not specified, eight countries establish a list of specialties for access, or the professional experience required in palliative care. This specialization varies, but most frequently, it takes one or two years. Furthermore, a large heterogeneity of the educational curriculum leading to the variety of certification processes is highlighted.

The EAPC has the challenge of uniting them so that this palliative medicine specialty can be recognized in Europe.

The authors of the supplement are Deborah Bolognesi, belonging to Fondazione Isabella Seràgnoli (Bolonia, Italia); Carlos Centeno, main researcher of the ATLANTES Research Program and Palliative care specialist at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra; and Guido Biasco, of the  University of Bolonia and the Accademia delle Scienze di Medicina Palliativa (Bolonia, Italy).

More information

Specialisation in Palliative Medicine for Physicians in Europe 2014 is available at the following link: http://hdl.handle.net/10171/35972. You can also get for free from Google and Apple Store Play. The Android app is called ics-ATLANTES.