The following is a summary of “A World of Maximalist Medicine: Physician Perspectives on Palliative Care and End-of-life for Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension,” published in the APRIL 2023 issue of Pain Management by Brown, et al.

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) require specialized care due to their life-limiting illness. Despite this, palliative care is underutilized in PAH patients, and more needs to be known about how to provide this care effectively. For a study, researchers sought to assess physician perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to using palliative care in PAH.

Board-certified pulmonologists and cardiologists specializing in PAH were recruited from the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s list of physician specialists and academic center websites. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis.

With a median age of 48.5 years and 20.5 years of clinical experience treating patients with PAH, the study’s twelve participating doctors represented a range of medical specialties. The following themes and their corresponding facilitators and inhibitors to the effective implementation of palliative care for patients with PAH were found: a tailored approach to the individual patient, a culture of care led by PAH specialists, effective collaboration with palliative care clinicians, and restrictions imposed by health systems.

The study revealed that PAH physicians are open to palliative care for their patients and are willing to partner with palliative care clinicians to implement this effectively in the right setting. However, the study also highlighted areas for improvement, particularly enhancing collaboration between PAH physicians and palliative care specialists and navigating barriers in health systems to enhance palliative care for patients with PAH.

Source: jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(22)01008-9/fulltext