Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2012
ReviewSystematic review of the primary research on minority ethnic groups and end-of-life care from the United Kingdom.
Patients from minority ethnic groups experience lower rates of referrals to end-of-life (EoL) care services, higher levels of dissatisfaction with services, and perceive some services as culturally inappropriate. ⋯ The results highlight the multiple and related factors that contribute to low service use and substandard quality of services experienced by minority ethnic groups, and the need for authors to clarify what they mean by "culturally competent" EoL care. The synthesis of diverse and disparate studies underpins a number of key recommendations for health care professionals and policymakers. Tackling these epidemiological, demographic, institutional, social, and cultural factors will require a systematic and organization-wide approach rather than the current piecemeal and reactive interventions.