Report of the national committee on the development of palliative care and end-of-life support

In 2006, the Ministry of Health asked the national committee on the development of palliative care and end-of-life support to propose a national policy for the development of palliative care. The committee approached the subject from the point of public health, starting with the fundamental ethical, economical, political and future demographic issues, upon which a palliative care policy could be developed. The fundamental choice was to establish an ambitious objective: create a culture of palliative care and end-of-life support in France as an integral part of health care and citizen education. To achieve this goal, the report and its appendices, which can be consulted on the Sfap web site, presents the proposals - and their justification - for a policy developing palliative care. The main measures advocated by the committee concern three dimensions: organization, training and research, societal aspects. This report outlines the objectives to be reached. If these proposals can be implemented concomitantly, this will enable a new approach to the process of human disease, i.e. its finality; this will enable the integration of a culture of palliative care and support which should contribute to changing awareness and practices among healthcare professionals. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.