Prof.dr. Wouter W.A. Zuurmond is head of the sections Pain relief & Palliative Care. He is key-opinion leader in the field of palliative care and is strongly involved in medical care provided to patients who are admitted to VUmc or at the end of life. Some patients will stay in the Hospice Kuria during the last days of life. Palliative care includes medical care, relief of complaints and pain, social and emotional support of the patient and his/her relatives, and spiritual care. The intensified collaboration of VUmc and Hospice Kuria makes it possible to call for specialized medical care at any moment.

Since October 2006, VUmc combines its activities and knowledge with respect to palliative care in the Expertise Center Palliative Care ( Network for Palliative Care). VUmc collaborates with Hospice Kuria in this network of expertise. This network provides regional support in order to optimize palliative care in the Amsterdam area. Wouter Zuurmond: “The expertise center concentrates knowledge in order to develop the specialty of palliative care as part of the medical curriculum. The specialty should include patient care, education and research. The patient should play a central role in these three pillars of palliative care. In order to improve the quality and knowledge within this specialty an effective, interdisciplinary collaboration is a prerequisite.”

Contact 
For more information about palliative care please contact the secretary office of the Department of Anesthesiology (anesth@vumc.nl ).