Provider Perspectives on Implementation of Adult Community-Based Palliative Care: A Scoping Review

Abstract

While community-based palliative care (CBPC) programs have been expanding, there remain important obstacles to widespread use. Since provider perspectives on CBPC remain underexplored, we conducted a scoping review to summarize provider perspectives regarding barriers and facilitators to implementation of adult CBPC in the United States. We systematically searched OVID, MEDLINE, and CINAHL for peer-reviewed qualitative research published from January 1, 2010 to January 9, 2024, then used PRISM framework synthesis to organize themes into provider, organization, and external environment levels. Thirty-four articles were included. At the provider level, barriers included misperceptions of palliative care (PC) by referring providers and poor communication, while facilitators included multidisciplinary teams and referring provider education. At the organizational level, time constraints were barriers, while leadership buy-in and co-located clinics were facilitators. At the external environment level, limited PC workforce and inadequate reimbursement were barriers. Our findings suggest that efforts aimed at scaling CBPC must address factors at the provider, organizational, and policy levels.