Respiro: A Community-Engaged Global Learning Experience for the International Development of Latino Palliative Care.

Abstract

Access to high-quality palliative care remains a challenge across global settings. This brief report describes Respiro, a global learning and community engagement initiative designed to promote cross-cultural exchange in palliative care. In 2023-2024, a bilingual US hospice nurse traveled to Mexico to collaborate with the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium-México, and then hosted the Mexican team for a weeklong visit in the southeastern United States in 2025. In this brief report, global learning and community engagement are described as conceptual frameworks for Respiro. Data on participant insights and reflections were drawn from structured evaluations completed by the End-Of-Life Nursing Education Consortium-México team, local palliative care providers, and Latino community members. Salient topics included self-care, volunteerism, and sociopolitical factors. Challenges to optimal palliative care in the Global North and Global South illuminate how diverse cultural contexts affect all involved in palliative care. Recommendations are provided for integrating global learning and community engagement into international palliative care development.