Research Examines Earlier Equitable Access to Palliative Care Services

From MedStar Health Blog:

Palliative care services can provide holistic care coordination and symptom management support services that relieve the symptoms and stresses of serious illness for patients and their families. The earlier patients receive services, the more we can help—yet many palliative care programs are under-resourced, and not all patients have equal access to services. 

Our research, funded by an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health and in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Palliative and Advanced Illness Research (PAIR) Center, examines a new method that could help more patients access palliative care sooner.