Polski merkuriusz lekarski : organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Aug 2013
Review Comparative Study[The role of bioethics committees in the systems protecting scientific biomedical research participants in France and in Poland].
Bioethics committees are along with ethic regulations and rules of law one of three main pillars in the system of protection of scientific biomedical research participants. Although principal directives for bioethics committees are established by international guidelines, detailed regulations may differ in particular states. The aim of this article was to compare two bioethic committees systems: French and Polish one. ⋯ In Poland members are called on three-year-term but the rotation of members is not overwhelming since there is no limit of terms for one member. French legal solutions seems more secure for scientific bioethics research participants. For this reason, a detailed research on legislation in other countries is necessary before introducing any new regulations in Polish law.
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Aug 2013
[Analysis of current conditions concerning development of palliative care in three selected countries of the former Eastern Bloc].
Palliative care is an active and comprehensive care provided to all patients who no longer react to treatment that would bring recovery. Its main objective is to gradually improve and maintain patients' high quality of life in their end stage of disease. In Europe palliative care has developed since the 1970's, 20th century. The aim of the study was to assess the current conditions concerning development of palliative care in selected countries of the former Eastern Bloc, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, by defining the following: recognition of the term "palliative care" in the analyzed countries, the type of palliative care units existing in a given country as well as funding sources, access to opioid drugs and barriers hindering palliative care development. ⋯ The term 'palliative care' is not commonly known in either of the three countries analyzed. Full-time hospices or palliative care units function in all of these countries, and palliative care services are publicly funded, however, only in part. Patients do not have access to opioids in amounts required for regular daily use. No differences as to the main barriers hindering palliative care development between the analyzed countries were identified.