Key informants' perspectives on integrating community health workers into palliative care teams

Disparities in access to palliative care persist, particularly among underserved populations. We elicited recommendations for integrating community health workers (CHWs) into clinical care teams, by exploring perspectives on potential barriers and facilitators, ultimately aiming to facilitate equitable access to palliative care.

Twenty-five stakeholders were recruited for semi-structured interviews through purposive snowball sampling at three enrollment sites in the USA. Interviews were conducted to understand perspectives on the implementation of a CHW palliative care intervention for African American patients with advanced cancer. After transcription, primary and secondary coding were conducted. Framework analysis was utilized to refine the data, clarify themes, and generate recommendations for integrating CHWs into palliative care teams.

Our sample comprised 25 key informants, including 6 palliative care providers, 6 oncologists, 5 cancer center leaders, 2 cancer care navigators, and 6 CHWs. Thematic analysis revealed five domains of recommendations: (1) increasing awareness and understanding of the CHW role, (2) improving communication and collaboration, (3) ensuring access to resources, (4) enhancing CHW training, and (5) ensuring leadership support for integration. Informants shared barriers, facilitators, and recommendations within each domain based on their experiences.

Barriers to CHW integration within palliative care teams included limited awareness of the CHW role and inadequate training opportunities, alongside practical and logistical challenges. Conversely, promoting CHW engagement, providing adequate training, and ensuring support from leadership have the potential to aid integration.