Beyond symptom control: Research in psychosocial and existential issues in palliative care

Abstract

Stresa, a small town on the shores of the Lago Maggiore, about one hour north of Milan, Italy, was the site of the Third Research Forum of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). From June 3 through 6, 2004, researchers from all across Europe, as well as investigators from North America, Australia, Japan, and Israel, gathered to review the state of palliative care research and set an agenda for the future. The setting was bucolic and tranquil; the official language was English; the accents were diverse; the accommodations were grand; the ambiance was intimate and insouciant; the dinners were elegant; the dress was stylish; the organization was impeccable; and the scholarship was of the highest level. All this, perhaps, was to be expected of an EAPC event, hosted by an Executive Scientific Committee and Research Committee headed by Franco De Conno of the Instituto di Tumori of Milano, Italy, and his colleagues. What was unexpected, however, was the prominence of research on psychosocial, existential, and spiritual aspects of palliative care at this critically important, international, palliative care research forum. Clearly, 2004 marks an important milestone for the entry of research in psychosocial and existential issues into the mainstream of academic palliative care. Palliative and Supportive Care, having just successfully completed its inaugural year of publication in 2003, is now extraordinarily and uniquely well placed to be the preeminent international palliative care journal for research in the psychosocial, existential, and spiritual aspects of palliative care.