Top 10 Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Messaging for the Public.

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Health Communication
• Public Health Messaging

Background:

• Palliative care advocates often use personal anecdotes, which may not resonate with a public holding inaccurate assumptions.
• Public understanding of palliative care is often limited, with misconceptions including it being solely for end-of-life care.
• These misunderstandings can lead to the decline of beneficial palliative care services by individuals with serious illnesses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of public-informed messaging strategies for palliative care outreach.
• To develop evidence-based public messaging approaches to improve engagement with palliative care services.
• To address the gap between public perception and the actual benefits of palliative care.

Main Methods:

• A multiyear, multiorganizational project focused on refining palliative care messaging for the public.
• Development of 10 evidence-based tips for public messaging on palliative care.
• Analysis of public perceptions and needs regarding palliative care information.

Main Results:

• Personal anecdotes may be less effective than evidence-based messaging for public engagement.
• Public messaging strategies can be tailored to address existing public perceptions and needs.
• Improved messaging can lead to greater public confidence and clarity about palliative care's role.

Conclusions:

• Public-informed messaging is an evidence-based approach to enhance public engagement with palliative care.
• Tailored messaging can help overcome common misconceptions about palliative care.
• Effective communication strategies are vital for integrating palliative care into health systems and building public trust.