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SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets with principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore.
Specialist palliative care improves patient experience, reduces bed days and saves money: An economic modelling study of home- and hospital-based care
This episode features Dr Peter May (Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, King's College London, UK
School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland).
What is already known on this topic?
Specialist palliative care increases odds of dying outside hospital and improves patient quality of life, but this is a complex intervention and not all who might benefit receive specialist care.
Cost-effectiveness of specialist palliative care, and the economic implications of reduced hospital deaths, is a persistent question for research and policy. Prior systematic reviews identify a lack of modelling studies as a fundamental evidence gap.
What this paper adds
We used decision modelling, a widely-used method in health economics that has not been routinely applied in evaluating palliative care. The key strength of this approach is the capacity to combine data from different sources to estimate cost-effectiveness when there is insufficient trial data to answer the question.
We found that both hospital-based specialist palliative care and home-based specialist palliative care for adults in England represent excellent value care, reducing the average cost per patient to the NHS while improving patient outcomes.
Implications for practice, theory or policy
Specialist palliative care is currently accessed by less than half of people who might benefit in England. Expanding access would likely yield further cost-savings and improve outcomes for patients and families. However, mitigating current inequities in access and outcomes also requires new approaches to identifying, engaging and meeting the needs of underserved groups.
Other countries interested in applying these methods to their own data and services can consider using our methodological templates, which we have published open access.
Full paper available from:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163261423755
If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu:
a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk (mailto:a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk)
27 Apr 2026
Reasons for patients in high income countries accessing hospital care while receiving specialist community palliative care: A systematic review and meta-ethnography
This episode features Norah Elvidge (School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia. Silverchain, Melbourne, VIC, Australia).
What is already known on this topic?
Many people with palliative care needs would prefer to be cared for and/or die at home.
Many people will be cared for at home by specialist community palliative care services.
Despite this, hospitalisation rates remain high for people receiving specialist community palliative care services.
Carers face physical, emotional and financial burden caring for someone with palliative care needs at home.
What this paper adds
Provides a deeper understanding of the contextual and individual determinants of why people receiving specialist community palliative care access unplanned hospital care.
Provides insight into specialist palliative care carer behaviour at the end of life.
Highlights the importance of the carer's role in decisions surrounding acute care access for people at the end of life.
Implications for practice, theory or policy
Further research is needed to capture the perspective of people receiving specialist community palliative care regarding the reasons for unplanned hospital use.
The number of unplanned hospital presentations for people receiving community palliative care may be reduced through the provision of better formal support for their carers.
Examining factors contributing to unplanned hospital use supports specialist community palliative care services to refine models of care and optimise care delivery.
Full paper available from:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163261418625
If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu:
a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk (mailto:a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk)
27 Apr 2026
Multi-perspective views about healthcare experiences for those with incurable head and neck cancer: A prospective, longitudinal, qualitative study
This episode features Dr Catriona Mayland (University of Sheffield, UK. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
Palliative Care Unit, University of Liverpool, UK).
What is already known on this topic?
The disease trajectory for people with incurable head and neck cancer is unpredictable.
This cancer subgroup has high healthcare utilisation even in the last months of life.
What this paper adds
Patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals consistently reported systemic variability in healthcare experiences for those with incurable head and neck cancer.
Improving access to symptom relieving medications, helping more with advocacy, and developing ways to improve caregivers' preparedness reflect areas for improvement across the disease trajectory.
Information needs change over time, with initial overload, but then complexities relating to advance care planning developing later due to the unpredictable nature of the disease.
Implications for practice, theory or policy
Solutions include cancer centres adopting more accessible, inclusive means of communication and providing patients and families with reliable contact points for key healthcare professionals.
Developing strategies or interventions to improve caregivers' preparedness should incorporate both caregivers and relevant healthcare professionals to ensure the technical aspects of care can be addressed.
Full paper available from:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163261416267
If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu:
a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk (mailto:a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.7 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
80
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
85
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