Twitter chat is second in series launched following December 2016 session on end of life care
A global conversation on crucial issues affecting care towards the end of life will take a different direction with a new Salzburg Question.
Since February 20, people all over the world have been using the #allmylifeQs hashtag on Twitter to answer a Salzburg Question related to palliative care.
This question was the first of nine to be asked in 2017, each pegged to an international day of observation. March's question - “Is dying well as important as living well?” - comes as people around the world observe World Happiness Day.
Discussions around each question are being led by different individuals and institutions at the heart of the debate and who were involved in a Salzburg Global session in December: Rethinking Care Toward the End of Life.
Salzburg Global Fellow and former Minister of Health in Rwanda Agnes Binagwaho led the first campaign, asking, “Why aren’t countries accountable to commitment on end of life (#EOL) care for vulnerable people?"
At the time of writing, this question and hashtag have generated more than six million impressions on Twitter. There have been more than 1,200 tweets and 237 participants involved.
The next question will be launched on March 20 by Lynna Chandra (@lynnachandra) - an ex-investment banker who left for the not-for-profit world in 2006 to establish Rachel House. This organization is the first pediatric palliative care service in Indonesia for children from marginalized communities living with cancer and HIV.
Chandra will pose the question, “Is dying well as important as living well?” with respondents encouraged to answer on Twitter using the same hashtag, #allmylifeQs. Salzburg Global is encouraging as many Fellows as possible to join in with this conversation on the day, beforehand, and afterward.
People are also encouraged to write blogs, which could be hosted on ehospice; the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) blog; Palliverse; and the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) newsletter. Vlogs are also welcome and should be sent to katie.witcombe@kcl.ac.uk so they can be posted to a dedicated YouTube channel.
Please join in the conversation on Monday, which coincides with World Happiness Day, and remember to use the hashtag #allmylifeQs.
A Twitter list of Salzburg Global Health Fellows has been created. If you would like to be added to this list, please let us know by subscribing or contacting us on Twitter at @SalzburgGlobal.
List of dates, questions, and people leading discussions
20 February 2017 - World Day of Social Justice - Why aren't countries accountable to commitment on #EOL care for vulnerable people? - Agnes Binagwaho
20 March 2017 - World Happiness Day - Is dying well as important as living well? - Lynna Chandra
07 April 2017 - World Health Day - How have you prepared for your death? - Suresh Kumar
15 May 2017 - World Family Day - Will caring for your dying loved one bankrupt you emotionally and financially? - Sheila Payne
20 June 2017 - World Refugee Day - 145 countries signed bit.ly/2ah31bH why do refugees have limited access to quality health care and #EOL care? - Emmanuel Luyirika
17 July 2017 - World Population Day - How and what do you measure to ensure palliative & EOL care? - Richard Harding
28 September 2017 - International Right to Know Day - Doctors, Nurses, do you want to die the way your patients die? - Bruce Chernof
13 October 2017 - World Hospice and Palliative Care Day* - Do you know how to access #palliative care when you need it? - Stephen Connor
10 November 2017 - World Science Day for Peace and Development - What future research is needed to improve care for people w advanced illness & towards the end of life? - Irene Higginson
*This year's World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is taking place on Saturday, October 14. We will launch the question the day before to generate more discussion.