Overcoming Barriers to Palliative Care Consultation
Kathleen Ouimet Perrin1, Mary Kazanowski2
1Kathleen Perrin is a professor of nursing at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire, where she teaches critical care nursing and understanding suffering.Mary Kazanowski is certified as a palliative care nurse practitioner. She works on the palliative care team for Elliot Hospital, Manchester, New Hampshire, and at Visiting Nurses Association Hospice of Manchester and Southern New Hampshire, Manchester, New Hampshire. rksperrin@aol.com.
Critical Care Nurse
|October 3, 2015
Summary
Palliative care consultations improve patient quality of life and longevity while reducing healthcare costs. Overcoming barriers like misunderstandings and unclear referral criteria is crucial for wider access to this vital service.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care Medicine
- Critical Care Medicine
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Palliative care consultations offer significant benefits to patients with life-threatening illnesses, their families, and healthcare teams.
- Benefits include enhanced quality of life, increased longevity, and reduced healthcare system costs.
- Despite these advantages, many eligible patients do not receive palliative care consultations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify barriers preventing palliative care consultations in critical care settings.
- To explore the role of critical care nurses in facilitating these consultations.
Main Methods:
- The study likely involved a review of existing literature or a survey/interview-based approach to identify barriers.
- Focus on critical care units and the specific challenges within these environments.
Main Results:
- Key barriers include a lack of understanding regarding palliative care's scope and benefits.
- Absence of standardized referral criteria for initiating consultations is another significant obstacle.
- Critical care nurses are identified as key stakeholders in addressing these barriers.
Conclusions:
- Addressing misunderstandings and establishing clear referral criteria can improve access to palliative care.
- Empowering critical care nurses is essential for integrating palliative care effectively.
- Wider implementation of palliative care consultations can optimize patient outcomes and resource utilization.
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