research shows how communication can drive a positive vision of palliative care in the classroom

To create and train palliative care ambassadors in university classrooms. This has been one of the goals of the work of Ana Paula Salas, a researcher at the Global Palliative Care Observatory ATLANTES, of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at the University of Navarra, who recently defended her doctoral thesis . Entitled"Care and Society: A Transformative Communication Strategy in Palliative Care for Undergraduate Students", the research demonstrates how communication can be used to foster a positive vision of palliative care and how this can be developed through university training .

The thesis , directed by Carlos Centeno and Beatriz Gómez, revolved around the subject Care and Society, of the Core Curriculum, a subject that seeks to promote palliative care in students of Degrees in social sciences such as Education, Psychology, Law, Architecture, Economics and Business. Some modules of the subject have also been taught at the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) and at St. Jerome's University of Waterloo (Canada), as well as in institutions in Scotland. Specifically, the research has allowed to develop and implement improvements in the subject; to analyze and monitor the change produced in the students and their relationship with palliative care; and to study the possible impact generated in the students' communities.

To achieve this, innovative practices have been developed through gamification, such as the creation of a Stay RoomTM. This is a unique escape room starring Ricardo, a university student diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) who shares his experience in five rooms. Through his story, students can better understand the importance of palliative care and the best way to accompany a person in need.

In addition, another of the cornerstones of the subject are meetings with professionals, patients and family members as well as a service-learning experience in a local institution. Rhetoric training is also included to enhance the students' communication skills. "The subject not only aims for students to know what palliative care is, but to have a positive perception of care and that it is something worth doing for their community," she explains.

For the new doctor in Communication, promoting a positive message about palliative care also means supporting "local efforts" because "we have more room for action". In this regard, she points to projects such as compassionate cities and communities. He points to the example of the Free University of Brussels, where the "compassionate university" model is already being developed. "For the past three years, they have been organizing events open to the public that help change the culture surrounding palliative care, transmitting a positive message.

interdisciplinary work

Salas emphasizes that studying this thesis in a research center like the ICS has been a core topic: "The multidisciplinarity that is breathed here was necessary. My research is based on three pillars, Education, communication and medicine, and I have been able to have this triple contact". In this sense, he appreciates that, in addition to his work with the School of Communication and the ICS, he has also had the support of the School of Medicine and the Palliative Medicine team at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN). In addition, during her research she has had the opportunity to stay at the University of Aarhus (Denmark) and a qualitative research course in Bucharest.

After the defense, Salas will continue his professional and academic degree program in Mexico City, where he was born and lived until he moved to Pamplona to study journalism. In this return to her roots she will be reunited with a very special person, her 88-year-old grandmother Lourdes. "I thought I should return to Mexico and take care of my grandmother. I have been teaching others the importance of caring for the past four years and now I also want to apply it," she concludes.