What do UK hospice websites communicate about the meaning of palliative care?

Hospice websites are an important source of information for the public. This study examined whether information communicated about palliative care aligned with WHO and the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) definitions of palliative care.

A framework analysis was undertaken using a framework developed considering key terms from the WHO and IAHPC definitions. The frequency of use of these key terms was recorded using an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated algorithm to data scrape all UK adult hospices' websites with a sitemap (130).Also, 24 hospice websites were manually reviewed, measuring frequency of inclusion of a definition of palliative care, information about what hospices do and descriptors of service users.

Total website content was mostly aligned with the IAHPC/WHO definitions. 8 of 24 websites included a definition of palliative care. No website stated that palliative care does not hasten death, and three confirmed that it can be provided alongside treatment. All websites identified cancer, fewer than half mentioned non-malignant diagnoses.

Key information was often missing, and opportunities to educate the public and address misconceptions are being lost. Hospice websites need reviewing and content updating to help improve public understanding of palliative care.