Under the title “Palliative Care Essential for Public Health”, health and social work professionals from different countries will have the opportunity to share experiences, debate and exchange views at the 14th International Congress of the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL), the benchmark meeting in the field of palliative care.

“We live in a changing society where more and more factors such as an ageing population, the increase in chronic diseases, the globalisation of health and other economic and environmental factors affect people’s well-being,” explains Dr Cristina Monforte, co-director of the WeCare Chair and coordinator of the congress’s Scientific Committee. This is why "one of the main objectives of the congress is addressing the challenges posed by this new public health paradigm and highlighting the role of palliative care as a key component in improving the quality of life of patients and promoting the health of society in a holistic way," she adds.

The conference, organised by SECPAL, are notable for their interdisciplinary, scientific, international, inclusive and integrative nature and will feature an extensive programme with presentations, workshops and activities aimed at professionals from the different specialties that make up the palliative care teams. In addition, the scientific criterion present throughout the program will give visibility to the research that is promoted within the field of palliative care, as well as to the projects that are being developed by the different working groups of SECPAL.

The 14th edition of the congress will give attendees the chance to reflect and broaden their horizons from a scientific, multidisciplinary and socially committed perspective, with internationally renowned figures in attendance, such as Dr Eduardo Bruera, who was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by UIC Barcelona, Sandra Martins, Katherine Pettus and David Clark.

As co-director of the WeCare Chair, Monforte is a national and international leader in end-of-life research. Through the Chair, she has focused her work on two main aspects: advanced disease care and end-of-life-care, and nursing research in the field of teaching and applied clinical practice. Furthermore, the research team led by Cristina Monforte has received funding from the European Community, under the Horizon programme, to carry out the ambitious project “RAPHAEL: Integrating a Palliative Care Approach for Patients with Heart Failure”, focusing on the role of palliative cures in optimising the quality of life of patients with heart failure.