Understanding the ethical challenges in the practice of palliative care in Uganda

Palliative care services are being set up in locations across the world using models originally developed in the UK. Differences in cultural values must be considered when setting up these services, and models should be adapted accordingly. I will explore the ethical challenges faced by palliative care professionals in these contexts so I can understand the nature of these differences and how they affect care and training in the specialty.

I will conduct semi-structured interviews with Ugandan palliative care professionals and regional trainees studying at Hospice Africa Uganda to explore the ethical challenges they face day to day. I will also set up an online survey to examine how ethical challenges and concepts vary in content in different places. I will then use empirical bioethics to formulate recommendations for palliative care practice and education, holding stakeholder workshops in Kampala and London to review the draft recommendations for changes in curricula in both countries.

The findings will directly affect healthcare training in Africa and further afield, benefiting those who provided the data. This study will also provide research training to support a career-long body of work examining these issues.