Scoping decision makers' needs for a National Palliative Care Atlas for Ireland

Abstract

Palliative care in Ireland has evolved from religious hospice care in the 19th century to an integrated, state-supported service across the acute and community healthcare sectors. Launching its first national policy in 2001, Ireland was one of the first countries in the world to recognise palliative care as a medical specialty. Despite progress, inequities in access persist, with rural areas facing shortages in infrastructure and services. In September 2024, the Minister for Health launched a new National Adult Palliative Care Policy. The new policy aims to ensure universal access to high-quality, needs-based palliative and end-of-life (EoL) care, regardless of geography or ability to pay, in line with the country’s broader health reform agenda. As part of the effort to reduce inequalities and strengthen the evidence base for more efficient and effective care planning and delivery, the new policy recommends development of an Atlas of Variation for palliative and EoL care. An Atlas of Variation is a visual mapping tool that uses small area analysis to identify warranted and unwarranted variations in aspects of palliative care geographically and across population groups. Aims and Methods:This study set out to scope decisionmakers’ needs for an atlas of variation for palliative and EoL care in Ireland. A multi-methods study, the research team first carried out a scoping review of the international literature, followed by semi-structured interviews with 17 key informants working across the palliative/EoL care system in Ireland. Key informants were purposively recruited for their expertise in one or more of the following areas: palliative care service model/service delivery, health data infrastructure, and service provision. Interview data was analysed using thematic analysis methodology. Desk research to map data availability within Ireland complemented the review and the qualitative interviews