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Commentary on: Vernon E, Hughes M, Kowalczyk M. Measuring effectiveness in community-based palliative care programs: A systematic review. Soc Sci Med. 2022; 296. doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114731
Implications for practice and research
Community-based palliative care (CBPC) programmes can improve quality of life (QoL), decrease symptom burden and decrease hospital utilisation.1
Research to determine best practices in CBPC may inform standards of care worldwide.1
Context
Medical, social and economic advances have been life-saving for many yet have also led to increased disease patterns and disease prevalence often resulting in life-limiting illnesses.2 Globally, nearly 40 million people need palliative care yet only about 14% receive it.3 Of those in need, 78% reside in low-income to middle-income countries.3 Increased need for palliative care and increased patient preference to die at home have extended palliative care services to CBPC programmes. Yet little is known about how these CBPC programmes measure effectiveness …
Footnotes
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.