Assessing Challenges in End-of-Life Conversations With Patients Utilizing a Public Safety-Net Health Care System

This study examined barriers to EOL care discussions as experienced by health care providers working in a public safety-net health care system where the majority of their patients were low-income and immigrant Latinos seeking medical treatment. Qualitative data were collected in South Central Los Angeles through semistructured interviews with 46 health care providers from different disciplines in medicine, nursing, social work, and chaplaincy. The themes indicated communication barriers in the public sector health care setting and sociocultural patient- and family-level factors. All providers made valuable contributions to clarify the complexity of the problems. Universal strategies are needed to improve communication.
Source: American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research