[Current Status and Improvement Strategies for Integrating Home Palliative Care in Oncology-A Qualitative Study]

This study aimed to investigate healthcare providers' experiences and examine potential strategies for integrating oncologic home palliative care(HPC). This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews via a web-conferencing system. The data underwent thematic analysis. The participants were 27 healthcare professionals, including oncologists, palliative care physicians, home palliative care physicians, nurses, and medical social workers. Two themes were identified; current status and improvement strategies. Current status encompassed 3 sub-themes: late HPC services involvement, few opportunities for early HPC services introduction, and early referral to HPC establishes rapport with patients. Improvement strategies included 6 sub-themes: interdisciplinary teams meeting to consider patients' hope, identification of outpatients that would benefit from HPC services, HPC service introduction via home visit nursing agencies and outpatient clinics, HPC services introduction via outpatient palliative care clinics, and booklet for patients and families. Numerous participants regarded the timing of HPC services referral as late and had experienced few cases of integrated oncologic HPC. Potential strategies existed in both hospital and home settings. The interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare providers in both hospital and home settings may facilitate the integration of HPC in oncology.