EAPC Atlas of Palliative Care in Europe 2019

Foreword
PRESENTATION
B
Phil Larkin
President, EAPC
This is the third edition of the EAPC Atlas in
Europe. As in previous editions, the Atlas
has only come to fruition through the dedicated
work of Prof Carlos Centeno, ATLAN-
TES, University of Navarra, Spain and his team led on
this occasion by Natalia Arias Casais. We owe the team
our immense gratitude for this exemplary work which
has grown in both scope and vision since the original
version in 2007.
The third edition presents data from 51 countries on
the ‘state of the art’ of palliative care at national and
regional level. The scientific rigour of the process of
data assimilation, including systematic reviews and
a Delphi process attests to the quality of evidence
regarding the contemporary integration of palliative
care and enabled specific indicators to be developed
for new and specialized areas of practice, including
palliative care for children, primary care and the role
of volunteers.
It is rewarding to see that palliative care continues to
increase its presence in mainstream healthcare and
despite the ongoing variance between East and West,
there are champions who take the lead in making the
case for the vitality and importance of palliative care
for all citizens. There are also clear indicators of development,
notably in palliative care children and neonatology
and education, which is starting to be embedded
in curricula to help prepare our practitioners for
the future.
The new Atlas also reminds that we can never be complacent
about the development of palliative care. We
need a concerted European effort to support those for
whom palliative care is in its infancy and to strengthen
our political voice for equity and access to palliative
care for all. The work of Prof Centeno and his team
provides us with the tools to do that important work.
The new edition is presented in a clear, accessible
way which captures key information in a succinct and
instantly deliverable manner. As well as a regional overview,
country reports are provided (as in earlier editions)
but with greater development in terms of visual
detail on service provision. Overall, the EAPC Atlas of
Europe provides clinicians, policy makers and educators
with critical information for future growth.
Globally, this will add to the capacity for benchmarking
and comparison across not only Europe but with other
works by the same group in Africa and Latin America.
The third edition is a remarkable achievement, and our
thanks go not only to the team but to all the national
associations and colleagues across Europe that have
contributed to this through documentation, completing
questionnaires or supporting the scientific studies
which underpin the work. The new Atlas is a critical
example of ‘ one voice, one vision’, a strategic document
to aid better care for people with palliative care
needs in the years ahead.
EAPC Atlas of Palliative Care in Europe
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