ArticleBMJ open2026
Barriers, facilitators and unmet needs for achieving a good death and enhancing end-of-life care in the Catalan Health System: a qualitative study.
Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectiveA qualitative study was conducted in Catalonia (Spain), incorporating the views and opinions of relatives, healthcare professionals and patients on what they considered a 'good death'. This study aimed to describe barriers, facilitators and unmet needs related to the achievement of a good death.
methodsWe recruited adult patients with advanced or chronic conditions, relatives and health and social care professionals involved in end-of-life processes of care, management or strategic planning. All participants took part in a qualitative study. The study was informed by phenomenological, hermeneutical and social constructivist perspectives and included 23 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions with a total of 31 participants. Fieldwork was conducted between February and April 2022. Data were transcribed and analysed using qualitative thematic content and discourse analysis.
resultsSix main themes were identified, comprising 17 subthemes. Facilitators and barriers related to achieving 'a good death' were categorised according to whether they occurred before death or during the dying process. Key facilitators include high-quality palliative care, open communication about death and the ability to choose the place of death. Key barriers included bureaucratic delays, inadequate resources, insufficient professional training and lack of respect for patients' preferences and wishes.
conclusionOur study highlights the need to understand factors that facilitate or hinder the achievement of a good death and the quality of the dying process. Specifically, understanding individual preferences and unmet needs, enhancing communication, increasing awareness, reducing bureaucratic barriers and ensuring adequate resources are essential to support a more dignified end-of-life experience for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.