Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41789116›Full record

ArticleBMJ neurology open2026

Mapping end-of-life care for patients with neurological conditions in German hospices: a point prevalence survey.

Sarah Kristina Bublitz, Stefan Lorenzl, André Klima, Susann Schmidt, Benno Schäffer, Sabine Gleich

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ neurology open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sarah Kristina BublitzInstitute of Palliative Care, Paracelsus Medical Private University, Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3258-543X
Stefan LorenzlInstitute of Palliative Care, Paracelsus Medical Private University, Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
André KlimaGesundheitsreferat, Landeshauptstadt München, Munich, Germany.
Susann SchmidtGesundheitsreferat, Landeshauptstadt München, Munich, Germany.
Benno SchäfferInstitut für Rechtsmedizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Sabine GleichGesundheitsreferat, Landeshauptstadt München, Munich, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Access to palliative care for patients with neurological diseases remains limited. Contributing factors include difficulties in predicting disease trajectories, resource constraints in long-term care and challenges in identifying the end-of-life phase-often compounded by communication and cognitive impairments. Methods: We conducted a national point-prevalence survey among German inpatient hospices using an online questionnaire. Results: The response rate was 44%, with 83% of participating hospices providing complete datasets. Most patients in hospices suffered from oncological diseases (n=785; 77.3%), including primary brain tumours (n=102; 10.0%). At the time of the survey, neurological diagnoses accounted for approximately 5% of hospice admissions. While 51% of hospices reported having access to neurological consultation, this was usually informal or ad hoc. 19% reported no current access to a neurologist but considered such collaboration desirable. Conclusions: This survey provides an overview of the current representation of patients with neurological conditions in German inpatient hospices. The findings reveal limited structured collaboration between neurology and palliative care, alongside structural and societal barriers that complicate timely hospice referral and end-of-life planning. Strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation, enhancing neurologists' engagement in palliative care and expanding specialised outpatient support for patients and families are essential to improving equitable and needs-based end-of-life care for individuals with neurological conditions.

Indexed as

ALSMOTOR NEURON DISEASEPARKINSON'S DISEASE

Identifiers

PMID41789116
PMCPMC12958885

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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.