“Palliative care aims to improve life, not giving up. To talk about palliative care is a question of public health, for it means talking about the right to quality of life and health humanization” , stated Catarina Pazes, president of the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care (APCP), during her intervention in the International Advanced Course of Hospital da Luz Lisboa, on June 25 and 26, a training program she has classified as “highly important for professionals” working in this medical area. The physician also approached the initiatives being developed by the association viewing to “convey the right messages and mobilize society”, as is the case with the public petition Reinforcing palliative care in Portugal is urgent , addressed to the government. This was the sixth edition of the course destined to health professionals with basic and intermediate level and working experience in palliative care, which is promoted every two years by the Continuing and Palliative Care Unit (CPCU) of Hospital da Luz Lisboa. “Over a thousand people have already attended this course throughout the years”, advanced Isabel Galriça Neto , of the organizing committee. “And here we are once again, along these two days, because we aim to improve and take palliative care to even more patients”, she added, in the hope that the professionals present would take with them “ideas and scientific evidence to continue promoting good practice”. And we can say that was actually what happened, considering the average evaluation made by participants – 4.69 in a zero to five scale – and the comments sent, where we can highlight “the relevance of the issues approached”, “the excellence and vast experience of trainers”, and “the atmosphere of sharing and proximity”. “Scientific excellence, practical orientation, interdisciplinarity, up-to-date knowledge, care humanization, and opportunity to learn with specialists of reference make this training course particularly relevant for professionals aiming to develop advanced competences in palliative care”, summarizes one of the participants. Challenges, good practice, and innovation Along the two days, the participants in this 6 th course had the opportunity to hear from 13 national and two foreign specialists, who shared their experiences in a large variety of themes. Namely: Abel García Abejas (General and Family Medicine specialist at Hospital dos Lusíadas and professor at Beira Interior University) approached the ethical challenges posed by the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in palliative care. “Dehumanization” is the major risk, he stated giving examples: the practitioner takes guidance in dashboards before “phenomenologically meeting” the patient; the existential suffering escapes “datafication" thus becoming clinically invisible; and measuring gradually substitutes interpretation. It is necessary to “keep the approach centred on the patient even in highly automated settings”, he warned. Carolina Vidal, internist and palliativist at Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, Ponta Delgada, presented the first scientific study published, coordinated by her, on patients with Machado-Joseph disease followed in palliative care. This is a severe genetically transmitted uncurable neurodegenerative disease that manifests in adulthood, causing gradual loss of the ability to walk and coordinate movement in general. In Portugal, it has high prevalence in the Azores. Cristina Galvão (SCP Beja+ community team) talked about her decades-long experience in palliative care to the community, namely in Alentejo, and its “specificities”. In an intervention packed with examples and memories, she demonstrated how health professionals must adapt to the living conditions of patients, and in brief “be there day and night, know how to perform and how to talk to, make life liveable, and care at home”. Isabel Galriça Neto pointed out that palliative care represents “one of the most profound transformations in modern medical reasoning”. 70 years ago, it came down to provide comfort to the end-of-life patient and it only happened in a few institutions, but today it is above all important the person beyond the disease, the care and not only the cure, the quality and meaning of life more than the number of years lived” . And she reminded “the fundamental values of palliative care”, among which the “solid ethical framework” requiring decisions to “respect the patient’s values and avoid futile or disproportionate interventions, be it in the sense of extending or shortening life”. The physician – with over 30 years of experience in the area, 20 of which directing the Hospital da Luz Lisboa CPCU – alerted that, despite all the progress, there are still “myths and perceptions” about palliative care similar to those of 70 years ago, that must continue to be challenged. After reminding that very few universities integrate palliative care in medical curricula, Rita Abril , director of the Hospital da Luz Lisboa CPCU, argued that it is necessary to innovate in the education and training of young doctors: “Palliative care is a basic competence and teaching it to Medicine students is not merely preparing them for the end of life, but to care better throughout life”. Carlos Ferreira , general surgeon at Hospital da Luz Lisboa and war surgeon at the International Red Cross, explained how it is possible to provide palliative care even in the worst scenarios of war and civilian disaster. “It is actually an essential component of humanitarian medical response”, asserted the experienced Portuguese war surgeon, sharing the know-how acquired in his missions including a few cases of patients treated. “It was a harsh but very special sharing”, as described by one of the participants. Nurse Pedro Tavares and Dr. Sério Amadeu , from the UCCP at Hospital da Luz Lisboa, proposed a model for determining the clinical complexity of cases to be referred for palliative care, and Sandra Martins Pereira (Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation and University of the Azores) presented her “top 5” selection of scientific articles published in 2025 in this field. The audience also had the opportunity to listen to two of the most renowned and experienced foreign specialists of present day: Paul Howard, senior consultant in palliative medicine at Mountbatten Hospice (United Kingdom), recognized for his work on medication in palliative care, and who talked about new therapeutic options; and Eduardo Bruera, of the MD Anderson Cancer Centre (USA), who reported how he has created there the Supportive Care Centre , with dedicated facilities and teams, to improve the quality of life of patients and respective families, as well as the obstacles he has had to face near management and how they were solved. As an aside, he proposed that “we should talk more about the money that is saved with palliative care”, rather than spent. Hospital da Luz thanks all the participants and speakers, as well as the scientific sponsorship of the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care. Together, we can improve healthcare provided to our patients. The International Advanced Course on Palliative Care will be back in 2028! In the photo, members of the organizing committee: Rita Abril, Carlos Rodrigues, Isabel Galriça Neto, and Joana Bragança.
