Provision of palliative and end-of-life care in stroke units: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a leading cause of death; between 20% and 30% of people die within 30 days of a stroke. High-quality palliative and end-of-life care are advocated for patients not expected to recover from stroke. AIM: To explore the perspectives of health professionals regarding the provision of palliative and end-of-life care in UK stroke units. DESIGN AND SETTING: Qualitative focus groups and individual interviews were held with 66 health professionals working in UK specialist stroke units. Data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the data. Palliative care was recognised as an important component of stroke care; however, there was uncertainty when initiating transitions to palliative care in stroke, and issues were identified with the integration of acute stroke care and palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide encouraging evidence that palliative and end-of-life care have been adopted as key components of specialist stroke care in UK stroke units. However, many patients stand to benefit from earlier identification of palliative care need and a consideration of quality-of-life approaches during active care. Encouraging collaboration and partnership when working with specialist palliative care services would optimise palliative care service delivery and may provide patients and their families with greater opportunities for documenting and achieving preferences for care and achieving a better quality of death.