The Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) launched its first paediatric palliative care initiative, the International Paediatric Palliative Care Discussion Forum, abbreviated as the iPDF, on 20 August 2015.
Conceptualized and implemented by the Paediatric Palliative Care Special Interest Group (PPC SIG) of the APHN, the iPDF will be a free resource platform for all paediatric palliative care workers to ask questions and participate in the latest discussions in children’s palliative care, anytime, anywhere online.
How it all started
Many paediatric palliative care workers in the region are working in isolation. Many cannot travel overseas for training and education. They have no one to ask if they run into trouble. Recognising the need to provide a platform that provides reliable help, is readily accessible, free and easy to use, the PPC SIG decided to fill this gap and start an online resource.
More than just a forum
The iPDF aims to become an online community for practitioners from different disciplines who work in the field of children’s palliative care, to provide networking and mutual support. In addition to being an interactive platform, the iPDF is moderated by a multidisciplinary panel of experts. Participants can be sure that their questions will be responded promptly by the relevant content specialists. Everyone can certainly look forward to many fruitful discussions with equally passionate colleagues around the globe, which has not been possible, until now.
Building capacity in a virtual environment
In conjunction with ongoing discussions, additional articles will be released every few months. These articles will include interviews with our moderators, who will share their own perspectives on the latest news and debates. Summaries of the most talked about topics, most shared answers, and further discussion on interesting projects within iPDF will be sent to participants, to keep everyone up to date on the hottest issues in the field.
Moving forward
The iPDF will continue to engage participants through activities built around this platform. We look forward to the iPDF becoming a resource for all paediatric palliative care workers, not just as a knowledge base but also a source of inspiration.
Join us!
Find out how to sign up for the forum at the APHN PPC site!
The iPDF is hosted on the Google platform. If you have a registered Google account, you may join the forum directly here.
The iPDF is an initiative by the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network. If you will like to help contribute to the initiative or other activities in the APHN, please feel free to contact Joyce at aphn@aphn.org or +65 6235 5166.