Bioinformatics to find the weak point of neuroblastoma and other childhood cancers
21 May 2024
The online sessions of the 1st Research and Innovation Conference for Residents in Aragon end
23 May 2024
The IIS Aragón researcher talks in this interview about her work leading the 'Nursing Research Group on End-of-Life Processes' (GIISA026)) and the challenges they face
Marisa de la Rica Escuín began her research career in 2014 and when she joined the IIS Aragon, it was proposed to form a research group. “It is important for a nurse to stay updated and develop advanced skills. Research is about opening doors to knowledge and clarifying hoaxes that exist around people's end-of-life process,” says de la Rica.
Currently, he leads the Nurse Research Group in end-of-life processes and combines his work in the Clinical Research Unit from the IIS Aragón at the Lozano Blesa University Clinical Hospital, in addition to working as a teaching-research professor at the University of Zaragoza. She is also the president of the Spanish Association of Palliative Care Nursing (AECPAL) and vice president of the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL).
What lines of research are being worked on in your group?
Our group works on nursing training in palliative care, but also covers various key areas, such as the evolution and symptomatic control in advanced illness, and the foundations and intangible values of this care. In addition, we also focus on the early identification of patients in need of palliative care and the organization, management and distribution of specific resources. We also study care in populations from different cultures and support for family and informal caregivers of patients in end-of-life processes, always applying the principles of bioethics to these terminal stages.
What is the main challenge your research group is currently facing?
Seeking funding and support for a nursing research group presents considerable challenges. The topic of palliative care is very unknown. However, the reality is that we will all, at some point, face the end of life, whether as caregivers, family members or health professionals. Precisely for this reason, it is crucial to dedicate resources to research in this field. Improving the palliative care process and disseminating knowledge requires access to scholarships, participation in specific calls on this topic, and collaboration with organizations committed to improving end-of-life care.
Any ongoing projects that you would like to highlight?
I am currently the President of the Spanish Association of Palliative Care Nursing (AECPAL) and vice president of the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL). The International Conference will be held in Zaragoza in 2025 and it would be very interesting to have the support of IIS Aragón.
What profiles make up your research team?
We are a group of nurses. There are generalist nurses, 90% have a master's degree, two of them are doctoral students and three of them are doctors. They work in different healthcare environments: case management, ICU, teaching, research.
Why should companies bet on research, and specifically, on your group?
Because it is a tremendously unknown field and with uneven development in the different Autonomous Communities. In this sense, Aragón is at the tail end in the development of palliative care. More research is needed, a political sensitivity that supports real development and the comprehensive and integrated model of palliative care.
Advice for someone starting out in healthcare research?
Creating a nursing research group is a great challenge; we have the added difficulty that the pharmaceutical industry does not knock on our door. Researching palliative care is an even greater challenge, since such care will not cure or save lives, but it will help us know what is the best way to accompany people at the end of life. But it is a tremendously exciting field, since it not only allows us to disseminate knowledge (which we do not have), but also to learn as people.
