Association Between a Name Change from Palliative to Supportive Care and the Timing of Patient Referrals -- The Oncologist

"....Because of the nature of our institution as a comprehensive cancer center
with a large patient volume, the results might not be generalizable to smaller cancer centers and oncology programs in other areas. However, the findings 
of our study regarding a higher overall number of referrals and earlier
referrals in the outpatient setting confirm the findings of our previous
survey study on the attitudes and beliefs of medical oncologists and
midlevel providers regarding the term palliative care. We believe
that these findings and the difference in referral pattern after the
name change are not center specific but rather reflect perceptions
among health care professionals in the U.S. regarding the strong
associations among palliative care, hospice, and end of life."


Conclusion The name change to supportive care was associated with more inpatient referrals and earlier referrals in the outpatient setting. The outpatient setting facilitates earlier access to supportive/palliative care and should be established in more centers.