The session, entitled “Symptom management at the end of life”, took place on 4 November at the Sant Cugat Campus and was led by fourth-year Nursing students. This year’s edition featured contributions from professionals in the healthcare and social care sectors, who shared their experiences with future nursing professionals.
The opening panel was chaired by Encarna Rodríguez, director of the Department of Nursing, accompanied by students Jan Salvó, president of the Scientific Committee and Emma Herrero, president of the Organising Committee.
The first part of the conference hosted the round table on “Multicultural aspects at the end of life.” Moderated by María Victòria Antelo, a fourth-year student, the panel included Mariona Guerrero, a palliative care nurse and care coordinator at the clinic Cuides UIC Barcelona; Clara Gutiérrez, member of the PADES (Home Care and Support Programme for Palliative Care) team at ICS Baix Llobregat; and Eira Bejarano, lecturer in the Department of Nursing with experience in PADES. The speakers offered valuable insights and professional reflections on the challenges and human aspects of end-of-life care, emphasising the importance of a culturally sensitive approach.
In the second part of the event, students presented their work in two formats: an oral communications panel, moderated by Óscar Salgado, and a poster session, moderated by Violeta Font. Topics included paradoxical lucidity, music therapy, non-pharmacological management of delirium, the benefits of home-based palliative care, caregiver burden, and the experiences of families and professionals facing end-of-life situations.
Awards were then presented to the best projects, selected by an evaluation panel comprising lecturers Pilar Fuster, Marisa Martín, Ingrid Ramo and Blanca Goñi. The prizes were sponsored by Enfermeras Invisibles and Enfermera en apuros. The award for best oral communication went to Alba Torres, Jan Salvó, María Antelo, Judit Graells and Lucía Escobar for their work “Literature review on the effectiveness of music therapy in patients at the end of life”. The best poster award was given to Mireia Funes, Maria Parella, Carla Broncano, Natalia Fernández and Emma Herrero for their study “Experiences of family members supported by nurses at the end of life”.
The closing panel was chaired by Cristina Monforte, co-director of the WeCare Chair at the University and an international leader in palliative care research, who highlighted the students’ leadership and the importance of the topic addressed. Marian de Juan, lecturer in the Department of Nursing and course coordinator expressed her gratitude for the students’ effort and commitment, noting the challenge of organising an event of this scale. Finally, Emma Herrero, president of the Organising Committee, thanked the Department of Nursing and her fellow students for their support, as well as the sponsors who collaborated in this edition: Enfermeras Invisibles, Enfermera en apuros, Alliance Laundry Systems and UIC Barcelona.
