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Is there a research paradigm for palliative care?
1Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care Studies, Royal Marsden NHS Trust, London, UK.
Palliative Medicine
|July 1, 1996
Summary
Palliative care research lacks a cohesive framework, with studies often describing problems rather than evaluating care. Strategic planning and creative approaches are essential for advancing palliative care research.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care Research
- Health Services Research
- Research Methodology
Background:
- Palliative care is an evolving field with ongoing debate regarding its research tradition.
- Establishing a consensus on research priorities and methodologies is crucial for advancing the field.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the existence of a coherent research paradigm in palliative care.
- To critically review the current state of published palliative care research.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 384 published palliative care studies.
- Examination of discussions, debates, and priority-setting exercises in palliative care research.
Main Results:
- Palliative care research exhibits disparate subjects and methods.
- Current research primarily focuses on describing palliative care activities and problems.
- There is a need for more evaluative studies on existing and new care approaches.
Conclusions:
- Palliative care research requires greater creativity and strategic direction.
- A proposed model for a future research strategy is presented.