Palliative care in the county of Istria – a mobile specialist palliative care team

The fundamentals of Palliative Care (PC) in Croatia were determined by professor Anica Jušić in 1994. Over the course of more than two decades, several volunteers and professionals have launched various PC initiatives at a local and national level. It led to legislative acts, regulations and strategic plans for the development of PC. However, for the organization of PC, it is necessary to accommodate the needs of the patient, place of care and opportunities of the community. Organizing the home, outpatient palliative care in the County of Istria is a good example of the synergy between volunteers, healthcare professionals, regional and local government and support of the population with the aim to provide comprehensive assistance to patients and families in need of palliative care. Coordination of the organization and its development is carried out at the regional level and is in line with the available human resources, place of care, the territory covered and budget. Managing the provision of palliative care services is in accordance with the knowledge, competencies and skills of team members and the co-operation with other institutions and voluntary associations. The mobile specialist palliative care team in Istria has shown to be the most appropriate form of PC. Important factors in the provision of home palliative care are family members of patients.

Key words:
early identification of palliative care patients; home-based outpatient palliative care; mobile specialist palliative care team; palliative care coordination; palliative care organization