[Problems and potential solutions of regional palliative care: a trial of the multiregional and multidisciplinary...

Quality palliative care is required at the community level, and interaction among multidisciplinary practitioners from various regions might be useful for improving community palliative care. The aims of the present study are: 1)to evaluate the participant's-perception of the usefulness of the interactive conference of multidisciplinary multiregional healthcare practitioners, and 2)to clarify the areas needing to be improved in community palliative care, raised in the conference. A total of 336 multidisciplinary practitioners from 4 areas of Japan participated in the conference. Overall, more than 80% of the participants evaluated the conference as very useful or useful; more than half reported that the conference was very useful or useful to obtain a concrete solution for the obstacles and to utilize the lessons though the conference as a means to improve quality of care in their own community. The identified areas needing improvement are: 1)developing an interactive networking among healthcare practitioners and/or organizations in the community; 2)developing a system of high quality, easily-available specialized palliative care service; 3)improving the knowledge and perception of medical professionals concerning palliative care and home care; 4)developing a collaborative care system between hospitals and community healthcare practitioners and/or organizations; 5)developing a collaborative care system among community healthcare practitioners and/or organizations; 6)optimizing existing resources available in the community; 7)improving the perception of patients and the general public about palliative care, home care, and cancer; and 8)to reevaluate the regulations, laws, healthcare system, and financial or human resources at the social level.