Educación en dolor y cuidados paliativos: reflexiones sobre un programa de entrenamiento formal en Colombia

Abstract

The emergence of chronic degenerative diseases in the world’s morbimortality has imposed the need to reinvigorate the kind of services given to these patients through palliative care. The expansion of pain and palliative care units require proper formation of human talent in specialized academic programs that may, if successfully structured on sound bases, really ensure the implementation of any such units in the countries’ health plans.

There is great concern that, in strengthening the search for issues leading to supply the demand for these services, a continuous introduction is encouraged of non-formal programs where the complexity of the relevant specialization is underestimated or disregarded, which would lead to malpractice while leaving with no proper solution the problems currently affecting these patients .In Colombia, the National Cancer Institute and the Pontifical “Javeriana” University have developed a specialization program for physicians, including specialties such as anesthesia, oncology, rehabilitation, internal medicine, and family medicine among others, with over 15 years of experience. Their graduates have made a positive impact on the development of pain and palliative care units at different service levels, and on the consolidation of new postgraduate academic programs. This work stresses the need for formal and well-structured programs as a true solution to the strengthening of palliative care in the different countries.