Why Many Decline Community-Based Palliative Care: Insights from Patients, Caregivers, and Providers
A pilot study published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine explored why patients living with serious illness often decline community-based palliative care, despite its benefits. Key barriers included limited understanding of palliative care, conflation with hospice, language and communication challenges, difficulty connecting with outreach efforts, and the belief that palliative care wasn’t needed due to perceived good health. Researchers found that small, targeted communication changes, such as clearly defining palliative care, tailoring messages to patients' current health status, and having trusted clinicians introduce the service, may significantly improve uptake.