The value of the International Association for the Study of Pain to developing countries.

Since it was founded, the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has been at the forefront of improving pain research, education, and effective pain management in both developed and developing countries. As IASP activities progressed, major differences between the practice of pain management, education, and research in developed countries compared with developing countries were identified. This led to areas of focus by IASP that included pain education to address poor knowledge of pain assessment and treatment, prioritization of pain management by governments and official national legislation and programs, and availability of pain treatments (especially potent analgesics).

Building the Nigerian Palliative Care Workforce: An Interdisciplinary Distance Learning Training Program.

Background: Education and capacity building in palliative care are greatly needed in Nigeria. Currently, two institutions integrate palliative care into the undergraduate medical curriculum and no post graduate training exists. A team from the University of Lagos in Nigeria and Northwestern University in the US collaborated to design, implement, and evaluate a 12-hour virtual palliative care training program for Nigerian health professionals.

Perspectives, perceived self-efficacy, and preparedness of newly qualified physicians' in practising palliative care-a qualitative study.

Background: Dealing with life-limiting illnesses, death, dying and grief, is uncharted territory for medical graduates. It is a field that is heavily influenced by cultural, religio-spiritual and social factors. This adds complexity to palliative and end-of-life-care, which challenges newly qualified physicians and requires the formation of appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes in junior doctors.

Integrated Primary Palliative Care in Nigeria- Perspectives of Patients, Families and Providers.

Background: Palliative care should be integrated into primary healthcare systems within low- and middle-income countries to achieve Universal Health Coverage goals. We aimed to identify preferences and expectations for primary palliative care among people living with serious illness and their families and the readiness of primary healthcare providers to deliver primary palliative care in Nigeria.

Methods: Qualitative descriptive interview study with 48 participants: people living with serious illness (n=21) and their family caregivers (n=15), healthcare providers (n=12).