“You can't stop talking about palliative care:” Perspectives and Learnings from Providers on Communicating about Palliative Care to Patients and Physicians

 

Method: Focus groups with nine California-based HBPC organizations were conducted between

January and April 2020. Discussions lasted approximately 54 minutes, were guided by a semistructured

protocol, audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to

identify themes and codes from the data.

Results: Twenty-five interdisciplinary HBPC staff members participated in a focus group. Most

identified as white (76%), female (76%), and working in their current position for five years or

less (56%). Three themes were identified from the data: (1) value of relationships; (2)

communication do’s and don’ts; and (3) need for education. Participants discussed actionable

recommendations for each theme.