General practitioners' attitudes to palliative care: A Western Australian rural perspective

People with a terminal illness and their families who live in rural or remote areas of Australia face difficulties in accessing palliative care services as a result of physical isolation. This leads to rural general practitioners (GPs) carrying the burden of care, which is often exacerbated by a lack of support staff.

This research addressed the following questions: What are GPs' attitudes to palliative care in a rural center of Western Australia? What factors contribute to GPs' attitudes to palliative care in a rural center of Western Australia? What are the perceived barriers to the provision of palliative care in a rural center of Western Australia?

A qualitative in-depth research design was used for this study due to the exploratory nature of the research. A model of attitudes that considers an attitude as a summary evaluation of an issue based on: cognitive information, (thoughts and beliefs), affective or emotional information, and information concerning behavior, was used.

Participants were 10 registered GPs located within the Greater Bunbury Division of General Practice in Western Australia.

Six themes emerged from the research: maintaining patients' quality of life, providing continuity of care, experiencing emotional issues, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, acknowledging the need for education and training, and dealing with the wider context.

Education and training for rural GPs needs to be relevant to the local context and needs to focus on emotions and beliefs.