A patient in hospital
A group of leading researchers and clinicians, led by Professor Irene Higginson OBE at King's College London, will today call for delivery of end-of-life care across Europe to be reviewed, and investment in research increased, in order to meet people's needs more effectively at the end of their lives. The call comes as policy makers, research funders and experts in palliative and end-of-life care meet today in Brussels at a symposium held by PRISMA - a consortium of experts from nine European and African countries, led by King's College London. PRISMA, funded by the European Commission to coordinate end-of-life care research across nations, says greater attention must be paid to quality of life alongside potentially life-prolonging treatments, as its survey of public views shows quality of life is important to people, often more so than extending it. Results of the first ever survey of over 9,000 people across seven European countries about their priorities for end of life care will be discussed at today's symposium. The survey explored people's priorities as if they were confronted with a serious disease, and had less than one year to live. The survey showed that: 71 percent of people said they would want to improve quality of life for the time they had left; four percent would like to extend life; and 25 percent said both quality and extending life was equally important. Professor Irene Higginson OBE, scientific lead of PRISMA and Professor of Palliative Care and Policy at King's College London, said: 'There needs to be a fundamental shift in the approach to delivering end-of-life care across Europe.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
