Higher education palliative care programmes in Latin America: where do we stand?

BACKGROUND

Palliative medicine education is a crucial factor in addressing gaps in the provision of palliative care. In Latin America, the availability of specialised training in palliative medicine is limited. Postgraduate study opportunities are heterogeneous and varied.

AIM: The objective of this study is to describe postgraduate education in palliative care in Latin America, focusing on characteristics such as duration, educational format, credits and prerequisites.

METHODS

We searched online for postgraduate palliative medicine programmes, compared them with the second Latin American Atlas of Palliative Care, qualitatively described and compared existing programmes and verified findings with regional palliative care professionals and educators.

RESULTS

About 30% of Latin American countries offer a palliative medicine specialty, and 52% provide higher education programmes (eg, master's or diploma), meaning roughly 63% offer some postgraduate training. However, programme duration and requirements remain highly variable.

CONCLUSIONS

In recent years, Latin America has seen substantial growth across most measurable indicators of palliative care development. Significant gaps remain in education and access to advanced palliative care training at the local level. The findings of this study aim to support the selection of appropriate training programmes and to guide health policymakers in reducing regional inequalities.