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Introduction
Policy Activities
Communications Activities
Future Directions
In September 1996, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
established the Collaborating Center for Policy and Communications in Cancer Care at the
Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG) at the University of Wisconsin. The Center supports
the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer program, particularly in the area of pain
relief and palliative care.(1,2,3,4,5) The PPSG is part of the Cancer Control Program at
the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, which in turn is part of the
Medical School.
The offices of the PPSG are located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, 1900
University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 53705. Our websites may be found at
http://www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy, and http://www.medsch.wisc.edu/WHOcancerpain.
This report reviews the Center's work in policy and communications in 1996, as well as
previous international activities that were conducted under the auspices of the Pain
Research Group, WHO Collaborating Center for Symptom Evaluation in Cancer Care, which was
directed by Dr. Charles S. Cleeland until September, 1996.
We are committed to policy and communication efforts that are
relevant to the needs of policy makers, drug regulators, medical administrators and health
professionals in different parts of the world, with the ultimate aim of improving the
quality of life for as many cancer patients as possible.
The Center has been an active partner with the WHO Cancer and Palliative Care Unit (CPL),
Programme on Substance Abuse (PSA), other cancer-related WHO Collaborating Centers and
Demonstration Projects, including the Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiative. The Center has
also developed cooperation with other agencies of the United Nations, including the U.N.
International Drug Control Programme, and the International Narcotics Control Board
(INCB). We have begun developing relationships with national governments, as well as with
national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in pain and palliative
care, for example the International Association for the Study of Pain and other national
and regional palliative care NGOs.
David E. Joranson, MSSW, Director
Sophie M. Colleau, PhD, Editor, Cancer Pain Release
Aaron M. Gilson, MS, MSSW, Researcher in Policy Studies
Carolyn Williams, BS, MBA, Research Program Administrator
Kate Edwards, BA, Research Specialist
June Jacobs, MA, Program Assistant
Erin Stenson, Office Assistant
Gia Weier, Editorial Assistant
Special Advisors:
Ms. Liliana De Lima, Fellow in Policy Studies
Mr. Kailash Sethi, Former Narcotics Commissioner of India
The Collaborating Center has focused its policy-related efforts primarily, although not exclusively, in developing countries. The following summarizes these activities.
The Region
Mexico
The Region
China
Indonesia
The Region
Objectives
Content
Editorial Advisory Board
The Board includes the directors of WHO Collaborating Centers with a specialty in cancer
pain relief and palliative care. Current advisors include: Eduardo Bruera, MD (Edmonton,
Canada); Charles S. Cleeland, PhD (Houston, Texas); Kathleen M. Foley, MD (New York City,
NY, USA); David Joranson, MSSW (Madison, WI, USA); Neil MacDonald, MD (Montreal, Canada);
Fumikazu Takeda, MD (Saitama, Japan); Robert Twycross, FRCP (Oxford, UK); Frits Van Dam,
PhD (Amsterdam, Netherlands); and Vittorio Ventafridda, MD (Milan, Italy).
Foreign language editions
In 1989, a one-time edition of Cancer Pain Release was published in Italian, with the
support of Dr. Francesco Nicosia of the National Cancer Institute in Genova, Italy.
In 1990, publication of a Spanish-edition of Cancer Pain Release was initiated. To-date,
approximately three-fourths of all editions are regularly translated into Spanish in order
to respond to a growing demand from health professionals in 25 Spanish-speaking countries
of Central and South America.
In 1992, a one-time edition of Cancer Pain Release was published in Chinese with the
assistance of Dr. Gao ShouZeng, of the Beijing International Medical Exchange Center. It
was inserted in the Beijing Medical Journal for distribution to health care professionals
in China.
In 1996, translation of Cancer Pain Release into French was initiated and continues
to-date. 20,000 copies are presently disseminated to health professionals in countries
where French is spoken, including Algeria, Belgium, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, France, Laos,
Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mali, Morocco, Switzerland, and Vietnam.
Worldwide circulation
Cancer Pain Release is disseminated either by subscription or bulk shipment to physicians,
nurses, pharmacists, researchers, governments officials, and industry representatives in
120 countries. (Appendix B: Worldwide Circulation)
Insertion in medical journals
In an effort to increase communication about cancer pain relief and palliative care,
Cancer Pain Release is inserted in widely-read medical journals. In December 1991, Cancer
Pain Release started being inserted in the pages of Primary Care and Cancer, a US journal
distributed to 80,000 primary care physicians. Since 1991, Cancer Pain Release is inserted
in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, which reaches approximately 3,000 health
professionals in the US and abroad. Issues of special interest to the membership of the
International Association for the Study of Pain have been reproduced in the IASP
Newsletter. The Center has recently received requests for insertion of the
Spanish-language edition in two medical journals (Mexico and Spain).
Distribution at professional meetings
Part of the Center's international outreach effort consists of contacting professional
organizations and speakers to arrange for distribution of Cancer Pain Release at
professional meetings on cancer pain and palliative care. Many thousands of complimentary
issues have been disseminated in this manner.
In keeping with the Center's term of reference to
"maintain a computer-based telecommunication system giving professionals the
opportunity to access and share information," the Center started an electronic
version of Cancer Pain Release on the Worldwide Web in Fall 1995. The Internet address is:
http://www.medsch.wisc.edu/WHOcancerpain.
A complete index of past issues is available in English, as well as complete versions of
selected editions and excerpts of others. The site allows users to request subscription
information, as well as print copies of back issues.
Survey of Latin American Health professionals
In order to assess the usefulness of Cancer Pain Release to health professionals in
Spanish-speaking countries, we administered a readership survey at a professional meeting
of cancer pain and palliative care professionals in Latin America. Results indicated that
94% of respondents use Cancer Pain Release for their own education, while 58% use it in
discussions with colleagues. Respondents expressed the most interest in information about
WHO priorities, followed by abstracts of current research in cancer pain and palliative
care.
Web page statistics
Preliminary data from our site on the Internet indicate that the Cancer Pain Release site
is accessed approximately 4,000 times per month from users worldwide.
The following future directions are contemplated,
depending on the availability of resources.
International
U.N. Organizations
The Center will be available to support the WHO Programme on Cancer Control, the Programme
on Substance Abuse and the INCB with their efforts aimed at improving policy and
communications about opioid availability and palliative care. The Center looks forward to
supporting the efforts of the PAHO to improve palliative care, opioid availability and
communications in Latin America.
International Association for the Study of Pain
The Center will support the development of national opioid availability initiatives and
will participate in the IASP Congress in Vienna in 1999, with a view to providing
additional information about progress and needs in the area of opioid availability when
the INCB re-evaluates the global situation in 2000.
Cancer Pain Release
The Center will continue to publish Cancer Pain Release, with the goal of further
increasing circulation and having each issue available in English, French and Spanish. The
Center will establish a new Pain policy website which will make available key resource
information about opioid availability policy. We will explore methods to improve national
and international communication networks to promote the mission of WHO Cancer and
Palliative Care Program.
The Center will continue to update and increase the amount and type of information
available on the Worldwide Web, including resources available to educate cancer patients
about pain control and palliative care.
The Center will develop English, Spanish and French-language editions of its WHO cancer
pain website depending on the availability of financial support.
Advisors
From time to time, the Center will ask individuals with specialized expertise provide
advice and guidance for the Center's activities.
Fellows
The Center will consider sponsoring Fellowships or Internships for the purpose of
improving national opioid policy expertise.
Europe
The Region
The Center will assist European cancer and palliative care organizations with the
development of national task forces to study and improve opioid availability at the
national level, especially in eastern, central and southern Europe, through collaborations
during international palliative care meetings in Cyprus and London during 1997.
France
The Center will continue its collaborations with French colleagues and the France-USA Pain
Association (Association Douleur France Amérique) to measure the short and long-term
impact of policy and educational changes in specific health professionals and patient
groups.
Latin America
The Region
The Center will assist in planning and implementation of the Latin American Palliative
Care Association Conference scheduled for March, 1998 in Concepcion, Chile. Our goals will
be to promote national studies of barriers to opioid availability, showcase the efforts in
Colombia, Mexico, and other countries, expand the communications network, review progress
and help to plan the steps for the next two years.
Colombia
The Center will continue its support of the Ministry of Health and health professionals
who are working to improve patient access to opioids, and will monitor changes in the
barriers and in opioid consumption as measures of progress.
Mexico
Our plans are to study the implementation of regulatory changes in opioid prescription,
monitor changes in the barriers, evaluate consumption of opioids as a measure of progress,
and consider development of a physician handbook on opioid prescription regulations,
training materials, and a basic list of opioid policy reference materials.
Asia
India
The Center will continue its development of guidelines for opioid availability for medical
institutions, support modification of national policy to allow for more flexible
availability, support the development of national expertise in opioid policy, monitor
indicators of progress, and continue collaboration with key government and non-government
organizations.
China
The Center will pursue several opioid-related policy issues, in cooperation with the PRG
and the PRC, including development of model hospital policy for the outpatient use and
control of opioids, and monitoring of changes in the barriers and in opioid consumption as
measures of progress.
Indonesia
The Center will support the efforts of the NCCP, and of the cancer hospitals and the
Demonstration Project at Dr. Soetomo Cancer Hospital, Surabaya, to improve the
availability of opioids in hospital and community, and will monitor consumption of opioids
as a measure of progress.
The Terms of Reference are presently adequate to direct the Center's activities; they complement the center's areas of expertise. Financial support from the WHO or other governmental or nongovernmental sources will be necessary if the Center is to continue or expand the work described in this report.
Vol, No 2,1 1988
2, 2 1988
2, 3-4 1988
3, 1 March 1989
3, 2 May 1989
3, 3 September 1989
4, 1 March 1990
4, 2-3 Fall 1990
5, 1 Special Issue on State Cancer Pain Initiatives February 1991
5, 2 June 1991
5, 3-4 Fall 1991
6, 1 Spring 1992
6, 2-3 Winter 1992- Spring 1993
7,1 Spring 1994
7, 2-3 Fall 1994 "Making Opioids Available To Treat Cancer Pain: The International System" "Managing Cancer Pain with Opioids: Addiction, Tolerance and Physical Dependence Defined" "The International Narcotics Control Board" "Opioid Availability and the Role of National Governments" "What Can Health Professionals Do About Opioid Availability?" -- Sophie M. Colleau, PhD "RESEARCH IN CANCER PAIN AND PALLIATIVE CARE: Noninvasive Routes of Administration of Opioids" Commentary -- Kirk V. Shepard, MD 8, 1 Spring 1995
8, 2 Summer 1995
8, 3 Fall 1995
9, 1 Spring 1996
9, 2 Summer 1996 (Supplement)
9, 3 1996
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