The barriers to and evidence for palliative care

It is undeniable that there are barriers to providing palliative care. Recent research suggests there is value in palliative care for patients, families, and those providing this care. Specifically, the research suggests that the earlier a patient receives palliative care, the better outcomes they will receive. This article will serve 2 important purposes. First, this article will look at some of the barriers that sometimes prevent offering adequate palliative care to patient and families when the care is needed most. Second, this article will present results in a simplistic manner from actual research studies, which helps make the case through evidence of the value of palliative and quality end of life care.