[Palliative care: profile of medical practice in the Quebec city region]

To describe the palliative care provided by physicians in the Quebec city region and to identify factors that affect its delivery.

Mailed survey.

Quebec city region.

General practitioners in active clinical practice.

Physicians' personal and professional characteristics and their palliative care practice (volume of work, source of requests for follow-up care, place of delivery of care, resources used, difficulties, encountered).

Of the 476 physicians (67%) who responded to our survey, 295 (62%) provided palliative care. Of these, 70% saw no more than two patients requiring palliative care per month, and 55% devoted no more than 2 hours per week to this aspect of patient care. Most (76%) provided palliative care in a variety of settings (private office, home, institution). Home care teams working out of local community health centres are the resource physicians drew upon most frequently (69%). The main difficulties encountered were a lack of clinical expertise, scheduling home care, and providing patients and families with emotional support.

Most physicians in the Quebec city region provided palliative care occasionally. This care could be improved by removing various logistical and professional barriers.