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 …