Shedding Light on Palliative Care to Improve Patient Care

Shedding Light on Palliative Services to Improve Patient Care

For many healthcare providers nationwide, palliative care remains an unfamiliar option for patients and their families. This is often due to limited awareness of its benefits and common misconceptions about what palliative care truly offers. As a result, this valuable service is frequently underused by those who could benefit from it the most.

Cathy Wozniak, the executive director of Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard (HPCMV) in Massachusetts, along with the organization's medical director, Dr. Lisa Vieira, shared recent statistics that highlight the crucial importance of palliative care options for many Americans. According to 2023 statistics from the World Health Organization, an estimated 56.8 million people in the United States require palliative care annually. Yet, only about 14% receive those services.

“Change is hard, but there has to be some way to educate providers into thinking of how to advance patients toward palliative care options.”

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