Is patient information on palliative care good enough? A literature review and audit

Aim: Early access to palliative care can improve patients’ signs and symptoms and reduce hospital admissions. In the UK many palliative care referrals are made in the last weeks and days of life, which indicates there are barriers to timely integration. This study aims to understand the barriers to timely integration of palliative care for people with cancer and establish the level of patient information provision.

Method: The study involved three stages: a literature review to identify barriers to referral, an audit of patient information resources available in adult oncology services across Yorkshire and Humber, and a critique of the identified information resources.

Findings: The literature review identified patient misconceptions about palliative care as a barrier to engagement with services. The regional audit found that information about palliative care is not widely available to cancer patients and the information provided does not address the misconceptions reported in the literature.

Conclusion: There is a need to improve information for cancer patients that addresses known misconceptions about palliative care and to make this widely available in oncology departments. This information could support earlier integration of palliative care alongside oncology management by improving understanding of when and how palliative care may benefit patients.