The workshop “Research in Ethics in Palliative Care Settings: Focus on ACP with Frail Patients” was facilitated by Simone Veronese, with the support of co-facilitator Minna Hokka. This interactive session focused on empirical ethics research in palliative care, particularly on how Advance Care Planning (ACP) can be implemented with frail patients in real-world care settings. Participants were introduced to example research projects and specific tools developed to support ACP, while also reflecting on how these tools could be adapted to different clinical, cultural, and institutional contexts.
Working in small groups, participants engaged with realistic clinical cases and discussed how ACP tools can be applied in ethically complex situations. The session encouraged them to think critically about which indicators should be prioritised when developing or evaluating palliative care programmes, and what kind of evidence would be persuasive for clinicians, institutions, and policymakers. By combining ethical reflection, clinical reasoning, and practical adaptation, the workshop strengthened participants’ ability to use ACP not only as a planning tool, but also as a patient-centred process that respects vulnerability, autonomy, communication, and shared decision-making.
