Event title: 14 th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care Entitled: Building Bridges Reference number: 12003 Actual number of participants: 2765 Number of certificates issued: 2631 Summary of the Evaluation forms and comments from participants: Following the EAPC congress all delegates were invited to complete an online evaluation. As of 29 May 2015, 671 questionnaires were completed (24%). The number of completed questionnaires was significantly higher than the previous Congress (198 questionnaires completed / 8% of attendees in 2013). Palliative care is a multi-disciplinary specialty and this was reflected in the broad range of professions from different disciplines attending the congress. Over 1200 abstracts were received and the scientific programme was developed to appeal to all delegates. (figure 1) EAPC Copenhagen 2015 EACCME Event Report page 1 of 6
Both the results of the online evaluation and verbal feedback from delegates suggest that the majority of delegates were very satisfied with the scientific content of the congress. 83% of the respondents reported that the programme was well or mostly well balanced (see figure 1). The majority of the respondents (82%) also rated the overall quality of education at the congress as good or excellent (see figure 2). This is an improvement on the previous 13 th World Congress in 2013, where the number was 75%. (figure 2) The scientific content of the programme incorporated presentations from both invited speakers and proffered abstracts. In total there were 228 speakers and chairs from around the world. The programme included the following sessions: 8 Plenary sessions with a total of 7 plenary lectures. 20 Parallel Sessions, reflecting the conference theme of Building bridges 16 Meet-the-expert sessions 20 Free communication sessions EAPC Copenhagen 2015 EACCME Event Report page 2 of 6
2 Industry sponsored symposia highlighting recent pharmacological developments and provided the attendees with information 984 posters presented in two poster sets one on Friday and one on Saturday. Delegates completing the evaluation have rated the quality of the range of presentations highly (see figure 3). Significantly, the average rating of Plenary Sessions, Parallel Sessions and Meet the Experts sessions were all between Good to Excellent. Industry symposia were not rated as highly primarily due to their lack of appeal to delegates who were not medical doctors.. (figure 3) EAPC Copenhagen 2015 EACCME Event Report page 3 of 6
(figure 4) The evaluation suggests that on the whole delegates found the presentations relevant to their educational needs, with 79% found them mostly of relevance to highly relevant. On average most delegates also found the congress programme relevant and useful to their work and practice techniques. (figure 5) EAPC Copenhagen 2015 EACCME Event Report page 4 of 6
(figure 6) Of those completing the evaluation a significant number (87%) felt that sufficient evidence was presented to support the findings of the presentations (see figure 6). The majority (78%) also felt that adequate time for discussion and questions was available during the congress. (Figure 7) EAPC Copenhagen 2015 EACCME Event Report page 5 of 6
Overall the congress provided the opportunity to view palliative care from multiple perspectives giving delegates the opportunity to develop and share knowledge and expertise. The range of topics met the expectations of those who completed the evaluation process and included symptom management (e.g. Pain and Breathlessness ), disease-specific palliative care (e.g. oncology, dementia, cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory), impact on specific patient groups (e.g. Palliative Care in children and elderly patients; those in nursing homes) and broader psychological, social, communications, ethical and spiritual dimensions of palliative care. Palliative care as a human right was discussed and focused on ways to make palliative care available and accessible for all. This discussion touched on ethical, legal, economical, medical, and social challenges. Prof. Irene Higginson Signature: (Electronic Signature) Prof. Carlo Leget Signature: (Electronic Signature) EAPC Copenhagen 2015 EACCME Event Report page 6 of 6