Healthcare Professionals

  • Interventions and Models of Palliative and End of Life Care for Homeless Adults

    Adults experiencing homelessness face significant symptom burdens and inequalities due to life-limiting illnesses and loss of rootedness. Lack of adapted palliative and end-of-life care worsens their illness and quality of life. Coverdale and colleagues (2024) conducted a review to identify interventions and models of care used to address the palliative Continue reading →

  • Private Sector Business Interactions with Bereaved People

    Bereaved individuals often need to undertake several practical or administrative tasks, such as transferring household bills to the name of the remaining spouse, following the death of a loved one. Research suggests that 61% of bereaved adults had difficulties with these tasks. Crooks and colleagues (2024) sought to explore the Continue reading →

  • HPCO Accreditation Program open to hospices outside of Ontario – Congratulations to Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society!

    Hospice Palliative Care Ontario is thrilled to announce that Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society achieved HPCO Accreditation for their Hospice Residence! This marks the first time a non-Ontario hospice has received accreditation. “Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society can assure our communities that Accreditation serves as an indicator of commitment Continue reading →

  • Virtual Reality Videos for Symptom Management in Hospice and Palliative Care

    Virtual reality (VR) is a simulation of reality using a high-end user-computer interface that allows real-time simulation and interactions through multiple sensorial channels creating an illusion that the environment exists. VR is increasingly being used in health care settings, including hospice and palliative care with positive effects on pain management. Continue reading →

  • Happiness in Hospice Care in The Netherlands: A Case Study

    While hospice and palliative care is often associated at a societal level with suffering, many who have experienced hospice care associate it with happiness. While there are some studies describing the effects of various interventions on happiness, few studies have explored the phenomenon of happiness in the context of palliative Continue reading →

  • A Hospice Transitions Program for Patients in the Emergency Department

    This quality improvement study, by Baugh and colleagues (2024), aimed to assess the association of hospice use with a novel multidisciplinary care transitions program to quickly identify and enroll patients eligible for hospice who presented to the emergency department (ED) near the end of life. The study involved 270 patients Continue reading →

  • Regional hospice and palliative care networks worldwide

    This scoping review by Röwer and colleagues (2024) analyzed international literature on regional hospice and palliative care networks (RHPCNs) to identify structures, outcomes, benefits, success factors, and good practices. The study found that RHPCNs self-identify as local stakeholders, employ coordination offices, and actively recruit network partners. Outcomes included improved professional Continue reading →

  • Supporting the Journey Home: The Process of Co-designing an Education Program to Strengthen Palliative Care Capacity in First Nations Communities

    In Ontario, Canada, a study aimed to improve home-based palliative care in First Nations communities by incorporating an early palliative care approach for community health-related workers. The CAPACITI curriculum was tested with 12 First Nations healthcare providers, who co-designed an education program that reflected their values and culture. The program, Continue reading →

  • HPCO2024: Conference Summary

    Our annual Conference, HPCO2024, occurred on June 9-11, 2024.  This sold-out event welcomed over 800 delegates from across Ontario.  We also welcomed delegates from across Canada and from the United Kingdom. The 2024 conference theme was Palliative Care Everywhere. Building on the 2023 conference theme of Now is the Time, Palliative Continue reading →

  • 2024 Dr. S. Lawrence Librach Award for Palliative Medicine in the Community: Dr. Naheed Dosani

    The recipient of the 2024 Dr. S. Lawrence Librach Award for Palliative Medicine in the Community is Dr. Naheed Dosani. Dr. Naheed Dosani is a Palliative Care Physician at the department of Family and Community Medicine through St. Michael’s Hospital, the Medical Director and Clinical Health Equity Lead at Kensington Continue reading →