Work

A Point Prevalence Study of the Provision of Palliative Care for Adult Inpatients With Mental Health Issues

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Little is known about the palliative care needs of people living with a mental illness and a life-limiting illness. AIMS: To gain an understanding of palliative care need and service utilization in adult inpatients with mental health issues across a metropolitan area health service in Perth, Western Australia. METHODS: Data were collected at four sites from patient medical records. Adult patients who were admitted at study sites' mental health units were eligible for inclusion. RESULTS: = 18) of these could have potentially benefited from palliative care. There was evidence of one patient receiving some form of palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, there was unmet need for palliative care, especially among older adults. The majority of patients with potential palliative care needs were admitted to older adult mental health wards. There are missed opportunities to provide holistic care to adult inpatients with mental health issues experiencing life-limiting conditions, likely to result in poorer symptom control and reduced quality of life. Approaches to identify and respond to palliative care needs in mental health settings need to be adopted.

Source: Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association

DOI: 10.1177/10783903261434242

Authors: Janie Brown, Dipna Martin-Robins, Alannah Cooper

Institutions: Curtin University, Royal Perth Hospital, Murdoch University

Language: English

Topic: Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,150