On December 14, the book Gratitude and Palliative Care. Un diálogo entre filósofos y clínicos, edited by María Arantzamendi, researcher at the ATLANTES Global Observatory of Palliative Care at the University of Navarra, and Mariano Crespo, . Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra, and Mariano Crespo, Full Professor of Philosophy at the University of Navarra, and published by publishing house EUNSA.

The presentation was attended by about twenty people and was supported by the Sociedad Navarra de Cuidados Paliativos - PALIAN. In addition to the editors, the event was attended by Ana Larumbe, professional of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra and member of PALIAN, and Miren May, professional of the Hospital San Juan de Dios of Pamplona and member of PALIAN.

The book deals with the phenomenon of gratitude in the field of palliative care from an interdisciplinary perspective. It gathers reflections from health experts and from Philosophy on the subject of gratitude - the patient - as well as the family and the professional himself. According to Crespo, the intention was to bring together two perspectives and dialogue, some from a more theoretical point of view and others with their day-to-day experiences. "This book has been a process in which both philosophers and clinicians have won," he added.

The value of care

The volume brings together various perspectives on gratitude: that of the patient himself, the healthcare professional, as well as the family and the spiritual, offering a vision of holistic care. The expert emphasized that, in the palliative care setting, patients are grateful "when they perceive that they are recognized and cared for in their individuality as valuable persons". On the other hand, there is the palliative care professional: "He or she is also grateful to be able to access the life of the patient and his or her family and to be able to care for them," Arantzamendi stressed.

For Crespo, the project and the edition of the book have been very enriching because "we have had the opportunity to listen to very different experiences and have contributed to enlighten the experience internship ". The aim was to reach health professionals and offer a tool that would favor the practice of their profession. 

This publication is part of the project of research 'The phenomenon of gratitude in palliative care', carried out between 2020 and 2022 by the ATLANTES team that studied gratitude in palliative care, both from the patient's and the health professional's perspective. In the volume are testimonies of international researchers participating in the International seminar 'Gratitude and Palliative Care' organized in May 2022 as a closure to the project of research.

The Palliative Medicine line is one of the main axes of the 2025 Strategy of the University of Navarra, which promotes a social impact-oriented research and a scientific production focused, in this case, on the search for personalized solutions for the health care of patients with advanced and serious diseases.