Who cares about the dying? - Unpacking integration of palliative care and oncology in the Danish context

Integrating palliative care into the trajectories of patients with incurable cancer has been a priority for years. Yet, the intended outcomes of this integration remain elusive. Many patients with advanced cancer continue to receive so-called aggressive treatments in the end-of-life phase or miss out on specialised palliative care entirely. To examine this impasse in the Danish context, we employ the concept of professional value scripts to analyse policy documents and guidelines aimed at guiding professionals working with this patient group. The three identified scripts - cancer treatment, medical palliation and holistic palliative care - embody a distinct understanding of integration, contributing to the challenges of forging an integrated approach. We argue that the central role of the cancer treatment script in patient trajectories creates an obligatory passage point, influencing both the symbolic and practical enactment of integrated palliative care throughout these trajectories.