Urska Lunder

2004-05 International Policy Fellow
Public Health working group: Palliative Care

Abstract:
This policy paper compares the current status of palliative care in the Slovene Health Care System with two EU countries, the United Kingdom and Spain.

The paper offers a critical assessment of the requirements for such a system, the alternatives approaches to providing specific services, the relationship to general services and the types of education and training that are needed. A discussion of the development of quality standards, guidelines and clinical pathways follows and then some implications with regard to the financing of palliative care are considered. The paper argues that all these consideration are necessary in order to make sound policy recommendations for the Ministry of Health and to support the provision of a practical and well-organized system of palliative care.

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