Open AccessPalliative Medicine in Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Patients and Caregivers - A Qualitative Study
Author(s) -
Anjali Desai,
Virginia M. Klimek,
Peter J. Wan,
Aileen Heinberg,
Kelley Anderson,
Camila Bernal,
Judith E. Nelson
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
bmj supportive and palliative care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.779
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 2045-4368
pISSN - 2045-435X
DOI - 10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002865
Subject(s) - palliative care , medicine , family medicine , qualitative research , nursing , social science , sociology
Evidence-based guidelines call for integration of palliative care within oncology from diagnosis. Misperceptions about palliative care have impeded implementation. Prior research has not examined perceptions about 'palliative care' versus 'supportive care' among patients and caregivers to whom this care is introduced routinely as part of comprehensive cancer care. We conducted a qualitative study of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and their informal caregivers to elicit perceptions of 'palliative care' and 'supportive care' before and after they received integrated primary/specialist palliative care from diagnosis.