• J Luczak, M Kluziak, and G Petrie Hunter.
• Palliative Care Department, ul. Lakowa 1/2, Poznan, Poland. jluczak@usoms.poznan.pl
• Support Care Cancer. 2002 May 1; 10 (4): 292-302.

AbstractDuring the totalitarian era terminal care was excluded from the health care system, and oncology, including education in the field, was rather neglected. The political and economic reforms that started in the 1990s in the countries of eastern and central Europe enhanced the development of palliative care and improvements in cancer treatment standards. This survey was performed to assess the current status of education and training in supportive and palliative care. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed by the authors to national leaders in palliative/supportive care. Data obtained from 16 countries indicate progress in palliative care provision and education, though it is held up by economic difficulties and by the lack of regulations in countries engaged in reforms of their health care systems. Training in supportive care is deficient; the discipline is usually perceived as the management of side-effects of anticancer treatment, so that it is not separated from clinical oncology. Access to professional literature should be improved, and the creation of national literatures should be encouraged. The role of local leaders, NGOs and professional associations must be emphasized. The main goals are: improvement of education, and better quality and availability of palliative and supportive care, not only for patients with cancer but also in other progressive life-threatening diseases.

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