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updated: 14 May 2010
About the EAPC
Mission Statement
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The EAPC brings together many voices to forge a vision of excellence in palliative care that meets the needs of patients and their families.
It strives to develop and promote palliative care in Europe through information, education and research using multi-professional collaboration, while engaging with stakeholders at all levels.
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SUMMARY
The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) was established on 12 December 1988, with 42 founding members and following important initiatives by Professor Vittorio Ventafridda and the Floriani Foundation. The aim of the EAPC is to promote palliative care in Europe and to act as a focus for all of those who work, or have an interest, in the field of palliative care at the scientific, clinical and social levels.
EAPC operates with the following aims:
• Promote the implementation of existing knowledge; train those who at any level are involved with the care of patients and families affected by incurable and advanced disease; and promote study and research.
• Bring together those who study and practise the disciplines involved in the care of patients and families affected by advanced disease (doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists and volunteers).
• Promote and sponsor publications or periodicals concerning palliative care.
• Unify national palliative care organizations and establish an international net-work for the exchange of information and expertise.
• Address the ethical problems associated with the care of terminally ill patients
Since 1990 the Head Office of EAPC has been based at the Division of Rehabilitation and Palliative Care within the National Cancer Institute in Milan. In 1998 the EAPC was awarded the status of NGO – Non Governmental Organisation of the Council of Europe, and was transformed to “Onlus” (Non profit organisation with social utility).
By 2010 the EAPC counted individual members in 40 countries, with collective members from 46 National Associations in 26 European countries, representing a movement of around 60000 health care workers and volunteers working or interested in palliative care. (eapcnet.org/Howtojoin/memberscolllist.html)
Information about membership is available at: eapcnet.org/Howtojoin/Howtojoin.html
Figure 1 shows the development of the number of Associations at national level having joined the EAPC collectively
Figure 2 shows the distribution of those Associations on the European territory.
EAPC initiatives
The Web: eapcnet.org
Our website has become a crucial communication tool to update on the latest developments and report in detail on the activities of EAPC.
The Scientific journals:
European Journal of Palliative Care (EJPC)
The EAPC Journal. Editor in chief Dr Julia Riley, London, UK.
The EJPC is the journal of the EAPC. It is a multidisciplinary journal, published 6 times a year. EJPC concentrates on reviews and current awareness of palliative care on the European scene.
Palliative Medicine (PM)
The Research Journal of the EAPC. Editor in chief Geoffrey Hanks, Bristol. UK.
Palliative Medicine is the leading peer reviewed research journal of palliative care in Europe. It is published 8 times a year and is available by subscription to the printed version and to E access.
The “Research Network” – Chair Stein Kaasa
The Board of Directors of the EAPC consider research a key issue for the future of palliative care and decided in 1996 to nominate Franco De Conno, Italy to chair and put together a Steering Committee for research. This group has organized eleven expert working groups on a variety of topics for which a common European position or recommendations are needed, has carried out a cross sectional survey and initiated two research projects (EPOS & PatC). By April 2007 13 papers had been published which are listed and/or downloadable at: eapcnet.org/publications/research.asp
Following the input of the Research Network an extended research collaborative was established coordinated by the Pain and Palliation Research Group in Trondheim. The collaborative’s application to the 6th Framework Programme was successfully evaluated in 2006 and received a 2.8 mill Euro funding from the European Commission for a 3 year period, starting from 1 November 2006. The European Palliative Care Research Collaborative (EPCRC) consists of eight participating centres in six European countries: UK, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Norway. In June 2007 Dr. De Conno stood down from his position as chair of the Research Network. The president thanked him in the name of all the EAPC and nominated him Honorary Chair. Stein Kaasa was confirmed as new Chair of the Research Network.
The European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC) was officially launced on October 15, 2009. The opening was given extensive publicity in Norwegian newspapers as well as in Italy. PRC is based at NTNU's Faculty of Medicine and at St. Olavs Hospital/Trondheim University Hospital, and was established with recommendations and support from the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). The Norwegian Cancer Society has awarded a major grant of 15 Million NOK (1.8 Million Euro) to help establish the new centre.
Additional support has been awarded by the Open Society Institute (USA), the Floriani Foundation (Italy) and by an unrestricted grant from Nycomed. The centre will coordinate groups and individual researchers across Europe along with researchers in the USA, Canada and Australia.
The EAPC Forum on Research in Palliative Care
In December 2000 the Research Network organised the first1st Research Forum of the EAPC held in Berlin, Germany The Forum was such a success that the EAPC Board of Directors decided to continue to organise those meetings every second year in between the EAPC Congresses. View the report at: https://eapcnet.org/congresses/berlin2000.html
The following countries have been hosting the Research Forum since then:
2nd Research Forum: Lyon, France (May 2002)
3rd Research Forum: Stresa, Italy (June 2004)
4th Research Forum: Venice, Italy (June 2006)
The 5th Forum will be held in Trondheim, Norway in June 2008.
The 6th Forum will be held in the UK in 2010.
The EAPC Congresses
Since 1990 the EAPC has organised 9 successful Congresses with worldwide participation: Reports of previous and Web sites of future congresses can be accessed at: eapcnet.org/congresses/congresses.html
1990 October: Paris, France
1992 October: Brussels, Belgium
1994 June: Bergen, Norway
1995 December: Barcelona, Spain
1997 September: London, United Kingdom
1999 September: Geneva, Switzerland
2001 April: Palermo, Italy
2003 April: Den Haag, the Netherlands
2005 April: Aachen, Germany
2007 June: Budapest, Hungary
2009 May: Vienna, Austria
Future congresses:
2011 May: Lisbon, Portugal
The call for the bid for the 2011 congress is open. More information at:
eapcnet.org/congresses/bids&conditions.html
The Taskforces & Projects
Taskforces are generally designed to be of limited duration, but some turn out to continue to function as small expert groups or networks in a special field and act as advising body to the EAPC Board of Directors. For detailed information click here
Milan, Italy, May 2010
Amelia Giordano & Heidi Blumhuber
EAPC Head office
National Cancer Institute
Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milano, Italy
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