Patient Perceptions of Specialist Palliative Care Intervention in Surgical Oncology Care.
Molly T Williams, Sara F Martin, Mohana Karlekar and 3 others
PMID 38877881WHAT IT FOUND
Patients undergoing abdominal cancer surgery often failed to recognize palliative care specialists, confusing them with other providers or associating the term with end-of-life care.
For those who did recall interactions, the value lay in supportive presence and symptom management rather than distinct procedural interventions.
Key findings
01Intervention group patients frequently could not distinguish palliative care specialists from the numerous other providers involved in their care.
02Usual care patients commonly equated palliative care with hospice or end-of-life management, though some viewed it as broader compassionate care.
03End-of-life concerns were generally low across both groups, with patients focusing more on practical affairs like financial arrangements and advance directives than on fear of dying.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (47 participants) and relatively homogeneous, with 98% identifying as White and a high proportion having college or graduate education. The study was conducted at a single center in a large urban setting, limiting generalizability. Participants were interviewed one month post-surgery, so recall of earlier interactions may have been biased or incomplete. The analysis did not distinguish between preoperative and postoperative engagement with palliative care, potentially missing differences in how these phases were perceived.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the National Cancer Institute (R01CA187484).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the patients' lack of recall of palliative care specialists as evidence that the intervention was ineffective or unnecessary. The study reports on perceptions and identification, not clinical outcomes like quality of life or symptom burden, which were assessed in the parent trial.