Experts from various parts of Europe such as Trondheim, Amsterdam, Munich, Madrid, Brussels and Cologne met to promote the development of strategies to identify the suffering associated with the desire to hasten death. The 1st International Workshop on End-of-Life Care was opened by Boi Ruiz, the Catalan Minister of Health, as part of the official inauguration of the WeCare Chair, which was established in the UIC’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in February 2013.
The WeCare Chair aims to generate knowledge about the general needs and treatment of people with end-stage disease and their families in order to help deal with and prevent the associated problems experienced by patients. The Chair receives financial support from Àltima, a funeral service company, and is jointly directed by Dr. Cristina Monforte, the Director of the UIC’s Department of Nursing; and Dr. Josep Porta, a lecturer in Medicine at the UIC and the Head of the Palliative Care Research Service at the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO).
Dr. Josep Porta said, “The overriding aim of the WeCare Chair is to allow patients in the advanced stages of disease to benefit from the knowledge gained through the Chair's lines of research. The Chair also aims to help families and carers of end-stage patients; healthcare professionals, who can receive training in caring for these patients; and young researchers, who will be enabled to carry out their projects and doctoral theses".
Dr. Cristina Monforte said, “The desire to hasten death in these patients is a response to general suffering that needs to be investigated and treated. We are designing tools able to detect that suffering earlier and better. We are also working on different strategies that can be of practical help to the patient. There is still plenty to do, but we are excited to be able to offer tangible solutions in the treatment of patients and their families in delicate circumstances such as these.
Josep Ventura, the Managing Director of Àltima, said, “WeCare is committed to research into alleviating suffering in the last stage of life. This university chair is the best way to create and convey knowledge to society.”
The second day of the conference on Saturday, 30 November 2013, took the form of a workshop during which participants exchanged ideas and made arrangements to continue to work together in an international collaboration network.
