The 2nd Annual US Celebration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: A virtual coming together to support equity in palliative care access

Abstract

Objective On October 5–6, 2021, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Supportive Care Service and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences hosted the 2nd Annual United States (US) Celebration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD). The purpose of this article is to describe the event within the broader context of the international WHPCD theme: “Leave No One Behind — Equity in Access to Palliative Care.” We reflect on lessons learned in anticipation of the 3rd annual conference to be held October 3–4, 2022. Methods Description of the 2nd annual event, conference planning team reflection, and attendee evaluation responses. Results The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance launched WHPCD in 2005 as an annual unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. The 2021 US-based innovative virtual conference featured 37 interprofessional hospice and palliative care specialists and patient and family caregiver speakers across 11 diverse sessions with a focus on health equity and COVID-19 considerations. Two primary aims continue to guide the event: community building and wisdom sharing at the intersection of art and science. 278 registrants from at least 14 countries and 21 different states across the US joined the program, which served as a global debriefing for hospice and palliative care workers from diverse settings, contexts, and disciplines. Significance of results The US WHPCD Celebration creates a virtual coming together for collective reflection on hospice and palliative care delivery amid vast changes in clinical practice, research, and policy, both locally and globally. In addition, our goal to ensure an internationally relevant, culturally inclusive, and multidisciplinary agenda will continue to draw increased participation worldwide during future annual events.

Chinese Diaspora Communities’ Knowledge of and Engagement with Advance Care Planning: A Systematic Integrative Review

“…Debates on the accessibility and applicability of health care by different groups have raised questions regarding the provision of culturally appropriate healthcare in general. 6,7 Evidence suggests that mainstream healthcare and palliative care often do not serve ethnic populations effectively [7][8][9] with barriers related to culture, language, awareness, and adaptation reported. 7,10,11 The Chinese community represents the biggest and fastestgrowing ethnic community around the globe, 12 yet engagement with advance care planning remains low, 13 similar to that of other ethnic minorities.…”

“…Debates on the accessibility and applicability of health care by different groups have raised questions regarding the provision of culturally appropriate healthcare in general. 6 , 7 Evidence suggests that mainstream healthcare and palliative care often do not serve ethnic populations effectively 7 - 9 with barriers related to culture, language, awareness, and adaptation reported. 7 , 10 , 11 …”