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Open research questions in Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues

340 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,780 Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The paper identifies the challenge of nursing students exhibiting suboptimal attitudes toward end-of-life care. It highlights the need for effective interventions to improve students' readiness for end-of-life care.

    Nursing students’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients: a quantitative study · 2026 · DOI

  • Recognizing and managing unconscious bias in clinician-patient encounters - Integrating structured psychological assessment and clinician support into assisted dying practices - Balancing the need for rapid decision-making with the need for thoughtful, reflective practice in assisted dying

    Assisted dying and countertransference: unconscious forces in life-and-death decisions · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study on the psychological toll on clinicians providing assisted dying - Investigation into how unconscious dynamics shape the practice of assisted dying

    Assisted dying and countertransference: unconscious forces in life-and-death decisions · 2026 · DOI

  • The prevailing approach to dementia care is heavily oriented toward pharmacological and task-driven symptom management, leaving insufficient space for the continuing human need for meaning, connection, and recognition. There is a need for an ethical and philosophical reorientation of dementia care that attends not only to symptoms but also to the existential and relational dimensions of suffering.

    Meaning Beyond Memory, Meaning Beyond Alleviation: A Logotherapeutic and Attentional Ethics focus upon Dementia Care · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to examine support for EAS in relation to religiosity in majority-Buddhist countries, - Studies should specifically analyse levels of religiosity within individual denomination or religious groups

    Conceptions of Medical Assistance in Dying and Euthanasia: A Literature Review on the Role of Religious Affiliation and Religiosity · 2026 · DOI

  • Few studies have examined the relationship between religiosity and support for euthanasia within individual denomination or religious groups. There is a lack of direct evidence comparing views between devout and nominal Buddhists. The current literature does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between religious affiliation and views on euthanasia.

    Conceptions of Medical Assistance in Dying and Euthanasia: A Literature Review on the Role of Religious Affiliation and Religiosity · 2026 · DOI

  • The study does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the educational system, - The study relies on self-reported data from health professionals, - The study has a limited sample size, - The study only examines the attitudes of health professionals in Greece

    Individual, Professional Characteristics and Religiosity Predict Attitudes of Health Professionals Toward Euthanasia in Greece · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of health professionals' attitudes toward euthanasia in Greece. There is a need to explore the main characteristics that affect health professionals' attitudes toward euthanasia. There is a gap in investigating the specific academic education of health professionals on the sensitive and ethical medical issue of euthanasia.

    Individual, Professional Characteristics and Religiosity Predict Attitudes of Health Professionals Toward Euthanasia in Greece · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies the challenge of integrating palliative care into routine clinical practice in Saudi Arabia. The study notes the problem of wrong beliefs about opioids among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. The study highlights the need for confidence in end-of-life care and ethical decision-making among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia.

    A systematic review of palliative care knowledge, attitudes, and practices in Saudi Arabia: a global comparative analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigation of the effectiveness of structured and mandatory palliative care education, - Comparison of different educational interventions, - Exploration of the impact of palliative care education on patient outcomes

    A systematic review of palliative care knowledge, attitudes, and practices in Saudi Arabia: a global comparative analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Small sample size, - Limited to community-dwelling persons at risk of or living with dementia and their care partners, - Care partners were required to be 18 years or older

    Engaging in the Life-planning in Early Alzheimer’s and other Dementias advance care planning intervention is associated with perceived advance care planning concordance and interpersonal connectedness · 2025 · DOI

  • Further study on the process by which dementia care dyads achieve perceived ACP, - Examination of the effects of ACP on end-of-life outcomes

    Engaging in the Life-planning in Early Alzheimer’s and other Dementias advance care planning intervention is associated with perceived advance care planning concordance and interpersonal connectedness · 2025 · DOI

  • Staffing shortages were identified as a challenge. The need to resort to agency staff was identified as a challenge. Staff workload and experience of burnout were identified as challenges.

    Unpacking the dynamics of transitional care units in Ontario, Canada · 2025 · DOI

  • Little is known about the operation of Transitional Care Units in Ontario, Canada. There is a lack of understanding about the structural characteristics and care processes of TCUs.

    Unpacking the dynamics of transitional care units in Ontario, Canada · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding about the factors influencing nursing students' attitudes toward caring for dying patients. The impact of gender and religiosity on these attitudes is not well understood.

    Nursing students’ attitudes toward caring for dying patients: a quantitative study · 2026 · DOI

  • Their lived experiences, potentially inclusive of ethical, emotional and other challenges, remain underexplored in Australia.

    Australian pharmacists’ experiences with assisted-dying: a qualitative study · 2026 · DOI

  • The findings also suggest that some ATE items may carry context-dependent meanings and should be further examined in future content-validity studies.

    A medicolegal evaluation of attitudes toward euthanasia: psychometric validation of the ATE scale in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • Six themes were identified, demonstrating that the disclosure of cancer progression is a process that is not limited to a single consultation.

    Cancer progression: how to announce it? The perspective of physicians and nurses · 2025 · DOI

  • However, there is limited evidence available from India on the development and implementation of such a training program.

    Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research should explore longitudinal interventions which might better reinforce confidence in end-of-life care.

    Enhancing thai fifth-year medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward palliative care through active learning methods · 2025 · DOI

  • OBJECTIVE: A scoping review was conducted in order to systematically map the research done in patient's right awareness, as well as to identify any existing gaps in knowledge.

    Patient’s awareness of their right and factors associated with it: a scoping review, 2024 · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the timely recognition of palliative home care needs remains a clinical challenge, and few studies have described the characteristics of palliative care needs and quality of life at home.

    Identifying palliative home care needs of patients with advanced cancer: a cross-sectional study · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite its recognized benefits, research on its implementation in PC, particularly in Portugal, remains scarce.

    Perceptions and Practices of Interdisciplinary Action in an Intra-Hospital Support Team for Palliative Care: A Qualitative Study · 2025 · DOI

  • CONCLUSIONS: Despite limited evidence, the NAT: PD-HF shows particular promise for identifying palliative care needs in patients with heart failure.

    Evaluating Palliative Care Needs in Patients with Advanced Non-Malignant Chronic Conditions: An Umbrella Review of Needs Assessment Tools · 2025 · DOI

  • Identifying individuals with potential palliative care needs is complex, and although multiple tools exist, the most appropriate approach for assessing needs in this population remains unclear.

    Evaluating Palliative Care Needs in Patients with Advanced Non-Malignant Chronic Conditions: An Umbrella Review of Needs Assessment Tools · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues

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340 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 2,780 Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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