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Brief description/objective

Background: The development of palliative care in the last decade demonstrates that so called palliative care interventions are increasingly incorporated in mainstream oncology care among other disciplines. In the curricula of medical oncologists there is a clear demand, that oncologists shall apply palliative care interventions in their daily practise. ESMO defined ESMO designated centers of integrated oncology and palliative care, were on a processional and structural level this integration is defined. On the other side, a specialist palliative care is growing and defined. On the other side, specialist palliative care is growing and defines more and more clearly the professional competences, educational requirements and also procedural qualities. Also at the Kantonsspital St.Gallen and the regional oncology network integration of oncology and palliative care is developed and further developing with a time of first integration going beyond 6 months and even further upstream in the patient trajectory and a large minority of patients are already cared for in a shared care or simultaneous care approach.

Currently there is an increasing need to define models of integrated oncology and palliative care, the best practises involved in such models including procedural definitions and guidelines.

Aim: To further define models of integrated oncology and palliative care locally, nationally and internationally.

Method:
A) A grant application for EU in a step one was performed with the aim to a) collect a European level universe health care system the current integration of oncology and palliative care on a service and on a system level, b) investigate current best practises and institutions by local visits of research fellows and c) to compose models of best practises of integration of oncology and palliative care, tailored to definable national and local preconditions (health service system, professional education, patient populations).

B) Systematic literature review on models of integration of oncology and palliative care

C) International survey of current palliative care services (supported by MASCC, EAPC, ESMO)

D) E-Learning on integrating oncology and palliative care

E) Development of indicators for high level integration for oncology and palliative care