“It doesn’t really apply to what I’m going through”: a mixed-methods study of barriers to palliative care among patients with advanced ovarian cancer

Purpose Palliative care aims to provide symptom relief and general support for patients with serious illness. Despite experiencing significant treatment side effects, specialty palliative care is under-utilized by patients with advanced ovarian cancer. We explored barriers to palliative care in this population. Methods We conducted a sequential mixed-methods study. Qualitative: we interviewed patients with advanced ovarian cancer ( N = 7). Guided by the Social Ecological Model (SEM), interviews assessed intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and policy-level barriers to receipt of specialty palliative care. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with directed content analysis. Quantitative: patients with advanced ovarian cancer ( N = 38) completed self-report surveys assessing knowledge about, attitudes towards, and prior experiences with specialty palliative care. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize survey responses. Results Qualitative analysis identified barriers to specialty palliative care at each SEM level. Intrapersonal factors (e.g., knowledge, attitudes) were most frequently discussed. Other common barriers included insurance coverage and distance/travel time. Survey responses indicated most participants were aware of palliative care (74%) but had mixed attitudes towards palliative care and did not feel they needed for palliative care. No survey respondents had received a physician recommendation for palliative care, and a sizable minority (29%) thought palliative care referral should only take place when patients have no remaining treatment options. Conclusion Among patients with advanced ovarian cancer, barriers to specialty palliative care exist at multiple levels. Our results underscore the potential value of a multilevel intervention to support receipt of palliative care in this population.