Review Collection Population Issues Policy

A new concept in palliative care which has emerged over the past decade is that of public health palliative care (also known as health promoting palliative care). This is based on the public health concept of a population approach linking to the World Health Promotion guidelines ‘the Ottawa Charter’

The goals of public health palliative care have been described as:

• Building public policies that support dying, death, loss and grief
• Creating supportive environments (in particular social supports)
• Strengthening community action
• Developing personal skills in these areas
• Re-orientating the health system (Kellehear, 1999)

Resources

• La Trobe University Palliative Care Unit, within the School of Public Health, have developed a newsletter about public health palliative care 'social network'. This unit have also developed the following:
  • A Public Health Palliative Approach (Presentation)
  • Health Promoting Palliative Care (Course information)
  • Practice Guidelines for Health Promoting Palliative Care 

Conference Proceedings

• Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet has health promotion resources
• A study of the integration of health promotion principles and practice in palliative care organisations Queensland University of Technology/ John Rosenberg PhD Thesis
• Palliative Care Australia has conference presentations from the 'Together 2009' national conference, including 'Plenary session 3 - Palliative Care and Public Health'

Related CareSearch page

Education

Free Full Text Article

Sindall C. ‘Health promotion and chronic disease: building on the Ottawa Charter, not betraying it?’ Health Promot Int. 2001 Sep;16(3):215-7.

References 

• World Health Organisation (WHO). The Ottawa charter for Health Promotion. Geneva: WHO; 1986.
• Kellehear A. Health promoting Palliative care. Oxford University Press, 1999 Melbourne, p20, Cited IN Salau S, Rumbold B, Young B. From concept to care: enabling community care through a health promoting palliative care approach. Contemp Nurse. 2007 Dec;27(1):132-40. 
• Kumar S. 'Kerala, India: a regional community-based palliative care model’. J Pain Sympt Manage. 2007 May;33(5):623-7. 
• Street AF. Leading the way: innovative health promoting palliative care. Contemp Nurse. 2007 Dec;27(1):104-6. 
• Zwerdling T, Hamann K, Meyers F. Extending palliative care is there a role for preventive medicine? J Palliat Med. 2005 Jun;8(3):486-9.

Last Updated 1 March 2011