Palliative Care Practices in Oncology Settings
Summary
Palliative care in oncology encompasses an integrative approach to managing the multidimensional needs of patients with advanced or life-limiting malignancies. This practice emphasises early assessment and alleviation of physical symptoms such as pain, nausea and dyspnoea, alongside psychosocial support, spiritual care and advance care planning. Multidisciplinary teams—comprising oncologists, palliative medicine specialists, nurses, social workers and therapists—collaborate to tailor interventions to individual goals, striving to maintain quality of life from diagnosis through end of life. Key components include systematic symptom assessment, communication of prognosis, shared decision-making, and coordination across inpatient, outpatient and home care settings. Referral pathways are evolving to encourage timely palliative involvement, driven by evidence that early integration can reduce treatment burden, enhance patient and family satisfaction, and in some instances extend survival. Globally, access remains uneven, with resource constraints, workforce shortages and cultural factors influencing service delivery. Innovative models—such as embedded palliative care clinics within oncology centres, telehealth support and community partnerships—are emerging to address disparities and optimise continuity of care. Outcome measurement is increasingly standardised through validated tools, enabling quality assurance, benchmarking and research to inform best practice and policy development.
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Palliative Care Practices in Oncology Settings publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in palliative care practices in oncology settings across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Palliative care: Specialised medical and psychosocial support focusing on relief of suffering and enhancement of quality of life for patients with serious illness.
Hospice care: A model of end-of-life care that provides comfort and dignity when curative treatment is no longer pursued, typically delivered in home or inpatient settings.
Surprise Question: A clinician-reported prognostic prompt asking whether death within a specified timeframe would be surprising, used to trigger deeper palliative assessment.
Prognostic screening tool: An instrument or method to estimate disease trajectory and life expectancy, guiding timely palliative intervention.
References
- Clinically informed machine learning elucidates the shape of hospice racial disparities within hospitals. npj Digital Medicine (2023).
- How accurate is the ‘Surprise Question’ at identifying patients at the end of life? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Medicine (2017).
- Heterogeneity and changes in preferences for dying at home: a systematic review. BMC Palliative Care (2013).
- A brief, patient- and proxy-reported outcome measure in advanced illness: Validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS). Palliative Medicine (2019).
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