What do patients think about palliative care? A national survey of hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients

Palliative care (PC) benefits patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but it remains underutilized. Although transplant physicians report concerns regarding how patients perceive PC, HSCT recipients’ perceptions about PC remain unaddressed. We conducted a multisite, cross-sectional survey of autologous and allogeneic HSCT recipients 3 to 12 months after transplant to assess their familiarity, knowledge, and perception of PC, as well as their unmet PC needs. We computed a composite score of patients’ perceptions of PC and used a generalized linear regression model to examine factors associated with these perceptions. We enrolled 69.6% (250/359) of potential participants (median age = 58.1; 63.1% autologous HSCT). Overall, 44.3.8% (109/249) reported limited knowledge about PC and 52% (127/245) endorsed familiarity with PC. Most patients felt hopeful (54%) and reassured (50%) when they heard the term PC; 83% saw referral as a sign their doctor cared about what was happening to them. In multivariate analyses, patients who were more knowledgeable about PC were more likely to have positive perceptions of PC (B = 7.54, standard error = 1.61, P < .001). Patients’ demographics, HSCT features, quality of life, and symptom burden were not significantly associated with perceptions of PC. HSCT recipients have positive perceptions of PC, though many have limited knowledge about its role. Patients who were more knowledgeable about PC were more likely to have positive perceptions of PC. These data do not support transplant physicians’ negative concerns about how patients perceive PC and underscore the need to further educate patients and transplant physicians about PC.