Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42129988›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Sociodemographic factors associated with the utilisation of specialist palliative care in individuals with end-stage kidney disease: protocol for a scoping review.

Emma Jameson, Paige Patricia Brown, Adrianna Bruni, Merna Wassef, Ruby Chang, Kathleen Milne, Jordan Berry, Michael Bonares

Abstract read
In one paragraph

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.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Emma JamesonDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada emma.jameson@utoronto.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-8036-0937
Paige Patricia BrownUndergraduate Medical Education, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Adrianna BruniDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Merna WassefDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Ruby ChangDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Kathleen MilneDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Jordan BerryDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Michael BonaresDivision of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4552-920X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIndividuals with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), whether receiving dialysis or conservative care, experience high symptom burden and limited life expectancy, indicating substantial palliative care needs. Integrating palliative care into kidney care is vital for comprehensive ESKD management, but access remains uneven across sociodemographic groups. Identifying and addressing these disparities is key to ensuring equitable care and improving patient outcomes. This study aims to explore sociodemographic factors associated with specialist palliative care utilisation among people with ESKD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study protocol outlines a scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature using an established methodological framework by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), and reporting will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Relevant literature will be identified through a multi-database (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO) and grey literature search strategy designed alongside a health sciences librarian. To be included, articles must involve individuals with ESKD and report on how sociodemographic factors influence access to and utilisation of specialist palliative care services. Results of the search will be screened independently by two reviewers and data from included studies will be extracted independently and in duplicate. A narrative and thematic analysis will be conducted to identify key themes related to sociodemographic influences on specialist palliative care access and utilisation among individuals with ESKD, with particular attention to differences between kidney care modalities (dialysis vs conservative care) and the extent to which intersectionality of sociodemographic factors has been examined. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required for this scoping review. Findings will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Results will identify patient-related factors influencing access to specialist palliative care in ESKD and remaining gaps in the literature, informing future research and policy to support equitable care.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilityKidney Failure, ChronicPalliative CarePatient Acceptance of Health CareHealthcare DisparitiesHumansResearch DesignScoping Reviews as TopicSociodemographic FactorsSocioeconomic FactorsEnd stage renal failureHealth EquityPALLIATIVE CARE

Identifiers

PMID42129988
PMCPMC13182294

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.