Realidad actual del modelo de desarrollo en cuidados paliativos en América Latina

Abstract

This research refers to the current situation of the development model in palliative care in Latin America, which includes components such as education, availability of opioids, and health policies to identify the progress and integration of this service offered by nations to optimize the quality of life of people who require this care. For this, a narrative literature review was carried out, in which a search was made for documents according to the heading of medical topics from the last ten years in English and Spanish. The databases used were PubMed and Web of Science. Eleven articles were obtained, and the Atlas of palliative care in Latin America was also used. This indicated progress in its development; however, health professionals still lack the knowledge and skills to treat palliative patients due to a lack of interest, funding, and sufficiently trained teachers. Also, there are insufficient hours and practices aimed at this discipline, which makes it impossible to progress palliative education in Latin America; in the same way, many countries record the existence of laws and programs in PC. However, some only include this care for cancer patients; likewise, access to opioid analgesics is still restricted in many LA countries.