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Extending specialist palliative care to all?
1Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care Studies, Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden NHS Trust, London, UK. dfield@icr.ac.uk
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|April 29, 1999
Summary
Extending palliative care to non-cancer patients in Britain is crucial. Evidence supports their need, but barriers like skills, identification, user views, resources, and vested interests hinder access.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Health Services Research
- Oncology
Background:
- Palliative care is essential for patients with life-limiting illnesses.
- Current services primarily focus on cancer patients.
- There's a growing need to address palliative care for non-cancer diagnoses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the evidence for palliative care needs in non-cancer patients.
- To identify barriers to extending specialist palliative care to this population.
- To inform policy and practice for equitable palliative care access.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing evidence on palliative care needs.
- Analysis of potential challenges in service expansion.
- Consideration of stakeholder perspectives and health system factors.
Main Results:
- Evidence confirms significant palliative care needs among dying patients with long-term non-cancer conditions.
- Five key barriers identified: specialist skill mix, patient identification, user perspectives, resource allocation, and existing health service structures.
Conclusions:
- Specialist palliative care is demonstrably needed for non-cancer patients.
- Overcoming identified barriers is essential for equitable service provision.
- Further research and policy development are required to extend palliative care effectively.