The list of Essential Practices in palliative care, for health workers working in primary care, were developed by the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) in 2012. It includes practices aimed at meeting the most prevalent physical, social, psychological, and spiritual needs of palliative care patients and their families.

The IAHPC List of Essential Practices includes 23 practices with different levels of intervention under the following domains of care: physical care, psychological/emotional/spiritual care, care planning and coordination, and communication issues.

The list was developed by a working group that included board members of IAHPC and external advisers from the field. The working group developed a plan of action and methodology that included a Delphi process among 425 health practitioners, primary care providers, and palliative care experts from 63 different countries around the globe, and a ranking survey with representatives from 45 international palliative care and pain relief organizations.

A project description as well as the list are available for free and in several languages on the IAHPC website

IAHPC . Internet. Accessed on August 31, 2016. Available at http://hospicecare.com/resources/palliative-care-essentials/iahpc-list-of-essential-practices-in-palliative-care/