Abstract
Background: IFIC LatAm embraces an open-table philosophy, inviting professionals, work teams, and regional groups to join and establish new working groups on topics that contribute to advancing integrated, person-, family-, and community-centered care in the Latin American (LatAm) region. Within this framework, the Working Group on Integrated Care and End-of-Life Care was established, aiming to promote advocacy, education, and capacity-building in collaboration with civil society, healthcare professionals, academia, and decision-makers.
Approach: Responding to the interest of Latin American professionals in generating and disseminating knowledge on end-of-life care, a working group on this topic was formed as part of IFIC LatAm. This group’s creation involved 13 constructive dialogue sessions with IFIC LatAm’s Technical Secretariat to define its objectives and develop a roadmap for positioning the group in the region. This effort led to the initiative titled “Series of Workshops on End-of-Life Care and Integrated Care: Practices and Challenges.”
Results: Within the “Series of Workshops on End-of-Life Care and Integrated Care: Practices and Challenges,” two knowledge-sharing events on integrated care and end-of-life care were held. The first event, titled “Deconstructing Knowledge on Integrated Care and End-of-Life Care from a Latin American Perspective,” attracted 155 participants from the region and explored their experiences and practices. It also identified priority topics within three main axes—governance, participation, and cultural relevance—as a foundation for creating a Latin American community on integrated and end-of-life care. The second event, with 192 participants, focused on presenting and validating these themes, collaboratively defining the priority areas that will guide the community’s development.
Implications: This initiative has highlighted the Latin American community’s strong interest in addressing end-of-life care through an integrated care perspective, specifically within three main axes. The first is governance, understood as a network coordinating interests and resources toward common goals. The second is participation, referring to a society that influences, decides, and engages in end-of-life care actions. The third is cultural relevance, emphasizing actions centered on individuals throughout their life course. The next step involves developing an action plan to advance initiatives within these axes.