Psychedelic drugs in palliative care: research agenda

Patients with life-limiting illnesses often experience profound emotional and spiritual challenges that conventional palliative care treatments may not fully alleviate. Psychedelics, with their potential to facilitate deep psychological insight, offer a promising approach to enhancing end-of-life care. Despite growing interest and emerging psychiatric applications, their use in palliative settings remains poorly understood, with existing studies limited by small sample sizes and low methodological quality. This article outlines a research agenda that prioritises adequately powered randomised controlled trials with patient-centred outcome measures, with an aim to inform policy and practice change.