IAHPC Traveling Scholar's Report

I attended a series of educational sessions at the 18 th International Congress on Palliative Care in Montréal, Canada.

I am a palliative care nurse at the BALSAM, the Lebanese Center for Palliative Care, which is a newly established non-governmental organization that aims to promote the concept of palliative care in Lebanon by improving the quality of life by relieving the suffering of people living with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses. Our work focuses on insuring that excellent palliative care services are available and accessible to all individuals living with chronic illnesses regardless of gender, age, nationality, religion, or political affiliation. We hope to accomplish this not only through patient care, but with advocacy, education and research.

This Congress helped to increase my knowledge in many areas. Palliative medicine is not recognized as a discipline in the Lebanese healthcare system and is not incorporated into the nursing and medical school curricula. This opportunity also allowed me to network with other healthcare professionals from various countries.

I attended a workshop on communication skills in family conferences. This session served as an introduction to new ideas that I can incorporate when participating in family conferences in Lebanon. It also enhanced my communication skills in counseling patients and family members who deal with conflict situations.

I also had the opportunity to present my research at the conference. This included sharing my guidelines for establishing a hospital-based palliative care program in Lebanon.  This opportunity stimulated my interest in further research and evidence based practice.

Jananne Hanna
Beirut, Lebanon