Area of Science:

• Palliative care research
• Healthcare access and equity
• Public health policy

Background:

• The French national palliative care program (2015-2018) aimed to reduce territorial disparities in palliative care (PC) access.
• The strategy involved increasing dedicated PC unit beds and hospital ward beds for end-of-life care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a 2017 inventory of all palliative care beds in France.
• To evaluate the reduction of territorial inequalities in palliative care access.

Main Methods:

• Data collection on palliative care beds in dedicated units and hospital wards across French counties in 2017.
• Analysis of bed density per 100,000 inhabitants.
• Comparison of regional disparities before and after program implementation.

Main Results:

• In 2017, France averaged 2.6 PC unit beds and 7.8 hospital ward beds per 100,000 inhabitants.
• Significant territorial disparities persisted, with 27 counties lacking PC units.
• Hospital ward beds partially mitigated inequalities, but 17 counties remained below the national average total PC bed density.

Conclusions:

• While quantitative improvements in palliative care bed availability were observed, significant territorial inequalities persist.
• Further analysis is required to assess the quality of care provided in these beds, particularly in hospital wards.
• Understanding care quality is crucial to determine if the expansion of hospital ward beds has truly improved equitable access to palliative care.