ArticleJCO oncology practice2022
"When I Heard the Word Palliative": Obscuring and Clarifying Factors Affecting the Stigma Around Palliative Care Referral in Oncology.
Article in JCO oncology practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Improving communication of prognostic uncertainty in advanced illness: a realist review.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- Family Caregivers' Understanding, Expectations, and Emotional Responses During Transition to a Palliative Care Unit: A Qualitative Study.Nursing open · 2026Article
- Advances in End-of-Life Care in Canada: Implications for Oncology Nursing.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Review
- Provider Perspectives on Implementation of Adult Community-Based Palliative Care: A Scoping Review.Medical care research and review : MCRR · 2025Article
- The transition from oncology to palliative care: barriers and facilitators explored through an integrative review.BMC palliative care · 2025Review
- Lexical associations can characterize clinical documentation trends related to palliative care and metastatic cancer.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Patient and caregiver experiences of palliative care co-management in oncology.Palliative & supportive care · 2025Article
- Navigating chronic uncertainty: a theory synthesis for nursing communication in life-limiting illness.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Interrater agreement of multi-professional case review as reference standard for specialist palliative care need: a mixed-methods study.BMC palliative care · 2023Article
- Use of Palliative Interventions at End of Life for Advanced Gastrointestinal Cancer.Annals of surgical oncology · 2022Article
- Access and Early Integration of Palliative Care in the Non-Hospital Setting for Individuals Living with Cancer in the United States: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review.Global qualitative nursing researchArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePalliative care (PC) can help patients with cancer manage symptoms and achieve a greater quality of life. However, there are many barriers to patients with cancer receiving referrals to PC, including the stigmatizing association of PC with end of life. This study explores factors that obscure or clarify the stigma around PC referrals and its associations with end of life in cancer care.
methodsA qualitative descriptive design using grounded theory components was designed to investigate barriers to PC referrals for patients receiving treatment at an outpatient cancer center. Interviews with patients, caregivers, and oncology professionals were audio-recorded, transcribed, and independently coded by three investigators to ensure rigor. Participants were asked about their perceptions of PC and PC referral experiences.
resultsInterviews with 44 participants revealed both obscuring and clarifying factors surrounding the association of PC as end of life. Prognostic uncertainty, confusion about PC's role, and social network influence all perpetuated an inaccurate and stigmatizing association of PC with end of life. Contrarily, familiarity with PC, prognostic confidence, and clear referral communication helped delineate PC as distinct from end of life.
conclusionTo reduce the stigmatizing association of PC with end of life, referring clinicians should clearly communicate prognosis, PC's role, and the reason for referral within the context of each patient and his or her unique cancer trajectory. The oncology team plays a vital role in framing the messaging surrounding referrals to PC.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.