Barriers to Palliative Care.
A. The lack of general understanding of the role and nature of palliative care by healthcare professionals and the public consumers of healthcare.
B. Financial reimbursement for the true cost of palliative care services and medications and supplies is limited and insufficient to cover the time-intensive nature of this specialty.
C. Communication between care providers and patients and families as well as communication between patient and family members.
D. Healthcare technology has allowed for prolonged life but has not necessarily contributed to improved quality of life.
E. A limited number of trained palliative care professionals means that the need far outstrips the supply of palliative care programs available.