The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) has announced the launching of Pallipedia, a free online palliative care dictionary to be built by the international community, under the auspices of IAHPC. The dictionary is housed in http://www.pallipedia.org.
Pallipedia resulted from a strategic plan carried early in 2008 by the IAHPC Board of Directors, who recommended developing and implementing a palliative care specialized online dictionary to improve palliative care knowledge and resources for the global community.
Pallipedia offers two options to visitors:
1. Searching for a term or concept related to the field of palliative care. The searching capability includes stop words and query language.
2. Submitting a term or concept related to the field of palliative care. Accepted terms and concepts are automatically indexed in alphabetical order.
"Over the past few years, with the advances in technology and new knowledge resulting from research, the amount of information on the Internet has grown exponentially. As part of this growth, several online dictionaries have been built, but none specific to palliative care. Individuals seeking for the definition of terms related to the field are forced to look in different sources, some of which do not meet appropriate quality standards," according to Dr Roberto Wenk, chair of the Board of Directors of IAHPC.
The quality of the dictionary will be ensured through a set of criteria that have to be met in order for a term to be accepted and uploaded. Pallipedia will offer only definitions published in peer-reviewed journals or reference publications or resulting from sound consensus-based processes.
Dr Wenk explained that "Pallipedia is an ongoing project which will be nurtured by the global palliative care community. Anyone with online access can submit terms to Pallipedia, following the established criteria. Special qualifications are not required and everyone is encouraged to submit a term or concept."
According to Liliana De Lima, executive director of the IAHPC, "There is a need for reliable, accurate and timely information in a single source. Pallipedia will provide such service to the global palliative care community."
Ms De Lima also commented: "Creating a free online dictionary plus offering palliative care workers from around the globe the opportunity to participate in its development is consistent with the IAHPC's mission by advancing hospice and palliative care programs, education, research, and favorable policies around the world."
Pallipedia is a registered trademark of the IAHPC, a global palliative care organization dedicated to the promotion and development of palliative care. The IAHPC is a registered charity in the US.
To learn more about Pallipedia, submit a term, or search for a term, please visit the dictionary Web site at http://www.pallipedia.org or contact the IAHPC at http://www.hospicecare.com.