Nursing Home Palliative Care Referral Process, Barriers, and Proposed Solutions: A Qualitative Study
Despite evidence that specialized care for seriously ill nursing home (NH) residents is needed, barriers to accessing palliative care (PC) remain. A significant issue is the complexity of the referral process that inhibits timely and equitable access to care. This qualitative descriptive study explored the PC referral process in NHs. Using rapid qualitative analysis with semi-structured interview data from NH staff, primary care, and specialty PC providers (<i>N</i> = 17) in six states, this study outlines a multistep referral process along with barriers and proposed solutions. Key recommendations include comprehensive PC education program development, implementation of an evidence-based PC screening tool, and the holistic integration of PC services in NHs.
Authors
- Connie S. Cole (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7920-9696)
- Claire Bennett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5888-7738)
- Cari Levy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7485-280X)
- Joan G. Carpenter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8039-9466)
- Kathleen Tschantz Unroe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3387-6730)
- Amy Jackson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4725-7861)
- Regina M. Fink (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9084-4319)
Institutions
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- Regenstrief Institute (US)
- Colorado College (US)
- Mayo Clinic Hospital (US)
- Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (US)
- University of Colorado Denver (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Applied Gerontology
- Published
- 2024-10-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648241286326
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.63
Funders
- National Institute on Aging
- National Institute of Nursing Research