Main themes, barriers, and solutions to palliative and end-of-life care in the English-speaking Caribbean: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES: To identify common themes documented in the literature on palliative and end-of-life care in English-speaking Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS), and to describe barriers, improvement strategies, and suggested ways forward. METHODS: In 2015, we conducted a systematic scoping review of relevant literature identified through the MEDLINE and Web of Science databases. We supplemented that with searches of other electronic and hard-copy sources to map key concepts and summarize themes. RESULTS: Primary data and other literature from and about English-speaking Caribbean nations are relatively scarce. The available literature offers an overview of the existing situation in the region and explores why palliative and end-of-life care is limited there. This review identified barriers in five main areas recurring across this literature: i) culture and attitudes of health care providers, patients, and those close to them towards terminal illness and death; ii) opioid availability and use; iii) limited development of palliative care services; iv) unmet palliative care needs; and v) limited research on palliative or end-of-life care. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis helps to document the need for palliative and end-of-life care in Caribbean SIDS and highlights suggestions for moving forward with related practice, policy, and research.