摘要：Using an innovative approach, we identified research priorities in palliative care to guide future research initiatives. We searched 7 databases (2005–2012) for review articles published on the topics of palliative and hospice–end-of-life care. The identified research recommendations (n = 648) fell into 2 distinct categories: (1) ways to improve methodological approaches and (2) specific topic areas in need of future study. The most commonly cited priority within the theme of methodological approaches was the need for enhanced rigor. Specific topics in need of future study included perspectives and needs of patients, relatives, and providers; underrepresented populations; decision-making; cost-effectiveness; provider education; spirituality; service use; and interdisciplinary approaches to delivering palliative care. This review underscores the need for additional research on specific topics and methodologically rigorous research to inform health policy and practice. Over the past 2 decades, palliative care has emerged as a promising approach to addressing the needs and priorities of patients with life-threatening conditions. 1 Continued expansion of the field, however, will require strategic and high-quality research to guide clinical practice and public health policy. Although substantial strides have been made in advancing our knowledge in this area, 2,3 much remains unknown. Since the 1997 report issued by the Institute of Medicine, Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life , 4 several initiatives have underscored the need for systematic and methodologically rigorous research on palliative and end-of-life care. The 2004 National Institutes of Health (NIH) State-of-the-Science Conference Statement on Improving End-Of-Life Care 5 and the 2011 National Institute on Nursing Research (NINR) Science of Compassion summit 6 generated guidelines to advance research on end-of-life care and clinical practice. 2,7–9 Even with such progress, there is widespread consensus that adequate scientific knowledge is lacking in many areas. 2,9,10 Nearly a decade has passed since the release of the NIH consensus document citing numerous gaps in scientific knowledge and urging researchers to focus their investigations on specific aspects of end-of-life care. Therefore, we aimed to identify current gaps and extend the critical objectives set forth by the American Public Health Association’s recent (2013) policy statement that calls for (1) developing a palliative care and gerontological workforce, (2) increasing access to palliative care services, (3) implementing public education programs and campaigns focusing on the right to palliative care and pain management, and (4) funding research to support the expansion of palliative care initiatives and interprofessional training. 11 Overall, our goal was to identify important directions for future research and inform the development of effective health policy and clinical practice in the field of palliative care.
