Palliative care research in Latin America: results of a survey within the scope of the Declaration of Venice.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of palliative care research in developing countries. However, it is still very limited in the developing regions of the world, including Latin America.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the current status of palliative care research in Latin America.

DESIGN

A survey was developed in Spanish and translated to Portuguese. Questions included demographic characteristics and specific research issues. Distribution was done through e-mail and personal hand-outs.

MEASUREMENTS

Data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

Two hundred sixty-three surveys (17.5% response rate) were received from 17 countries. A small number (10%, n = 263) reported participating in research within the last 5 years. Slightly over half of them received some training and had access to mentorship and guidance from an expert: multivariate analysis showed that training in research (odds ratio [OR] 3.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.71-6.98) and support from an expert (OR 3.03; 95% CI 1.51-6.10) were positive predictor factors, even when adjusted for gender, age, years since graduation, and years working in palliative care. Barriers to conduct research most frequently cited were: lack of funding, insufficient knowledge and expertise, and lack of interest (54%, 21%, and 15%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Palliative care research in Latin America is very limited. Regional palliative care teams must adopt and implement systematic research in their practice to improve, guarantee, and sustain quality. Changes in policy, education, and allocation of funds are needed to guarantee the development of research in Latin America.