The organization of palliative medical care on the regional level

Abstract

The article considers particular issues of current state of palliative care organization, including out-patient stage of its provision, as exemplified by the Saratov Oblast. At the actual stage of national health care system development, palliative care system faces wide range of tasks that require immediate solutions, including significant list of diseases that determine palliative status of patients and number of patients in need of corresponding care. According to various estimates, in Russia more than 1.2% of population need palliative care. Despite active progress of institutionalization of palliative care in Russia, adoption of regional programs of development of palliative care, there are a number of difficulties and unresolved problems, concerning organizational issues of palliative care service and its normative legal framework and various aspects of corresponding assistance (pain relief, use of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, communication, etc.). Among emergency problems of palliative care service are: lack of integration and interdepartmental interaction in palliative care provision; insufficient awareness of real need of population in palliative care; lack of qualified palliative care specialists; insufficient provision of medical equipment, medical products and medications; high demand for volunteer organizations participation; insufficient involvement of social workers in palliative care support of adults and children.