While 90 percent of hospitals across the country with at least 300 beds have palliative care programs, only 56 percent of smaller hospitals offer these services, according to a new study published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.
Factors such as geographic variation, tax status and hospital size seem to contribute to variability in patient access to this type of care, according the paper. Although a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report found nearly nine out of 10 Medicare patients say doctors should discuss end-of-life care issues with their patients, only 17 percent of those same patients report having had those conversations.
"This report holds both good news and bad. The good news is the inexorable improvement in access to palliative care. The bad news is that this scientifically proven best care is not available to all people in all hospitals," Charles F. von Gunten, MD, PhD, editor-in-chief of Journal of Palliative Medicine and clinical professor of medicine at Athens-based Ohio University, said in a statement.