Identifying Healthcare Professional Roles in Developing Palliative Care: A Mixed Method

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Palliative Care
• Integrated Healthcare Systems

Background:

• The integration of healthcare services aims for holistic patient care.
• Optimal hospital operations rely on maximizing the potential of healthcare professionals.
• Sustaining effective palliative care programs requires a focus on safety and quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role of healthcare professionals in sustaining palliative care programs.
• To identify factors contributing to safe and high-quality palliative care environments.
• To inform policy making for effective palliative care reforms.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative data.
• Balanced sampling of 28 healthcare professionals involved in palliative care policy.
• Data analysis using NVivo 12 for theme extraction and quantitative analysis.

Main Results:

• Identified 36 key factors for effective and sustainable palliative healthcare centers.
• Four critical domains emerged: quality of care, effective management, Institute of Medicine criteria, and health governance.
• Significant correlations were found between these four components (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Healthcare professionals' roles are crucial for productive palliative care centers.
• Comprehensive periodic assessments are needed, focusing on managerial implications and quality of care.
• Findings support the development of integrated healthcare systems with a focus on palliative care excellence.