Abstract
Background: Palliative care services can help manage chronic conditions out of the hospital as well as help make a plan as the course of the disease progresses to the final stages. Registered nurses (RNs) are in a key position to initiate a palliative care consult, but there is still a large divide in those that need the care, and those that receive the care (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 2016).|Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify barriers to initiating palliative care consultations as perceived by the inpatient, bedside RN. Through identification, further research can be completed to determine ways to initiating palliative care services sooner for patients in need.|Methods: Themes discovered through literature reviewed were utilized in a ten question survey sent to bedside registered nurses in inpatient hospital settings. Data was collected through Survey Monkey and then analyzed for themes and frequencies.|Results: Results revealed family and social dynamics and lack of knowledge were the top two barriers with 94 of 178 respondents (52%) identifying either of these as the largest barrier faced.|Conclusion: Inpatient nurses suggested to improve palliative care availability in their facilities, education, communication, and increased physician interest need to be enhanced. Facility wide education and training by palliative care experts is recommended including what services palliative care offers, when it is appropriate to initiate consultation, and use of appropriate terminology. Cultural considerations should also be emphasized. Palliative care involvement in the development of a nursing driven standardized order set may also alleviate the burden.