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Comparing Palliative Care Knowledge in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas of the United States: Results from a National Survey.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Langan, E; Kamal, AH; Miller, KEM; Kaufman, BG
Published in: J Palliat Med
December 2021

Background: Despite recent growth in access to specialty palliative care (PC) services, awareness of PC by patients and caregivers is limited and misconceptions about PC persist. Identifying gaps in PC knowledge may help inform initiatives that seek to reduce inequities in access to PC in rural areas. Objective: We compared knowledge of PC in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of the United States using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Design: We used data from the 2018 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5 Cycle 2 to compare prevalence and predictors of PC knowledge and misconceptions in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas as defined by the 2013 Urban-Rural Classification (URC) Scheme for Counties. We estimated the association between nonmetro status and knowledge of PC, adjusted for respondent characteristics, using multivariable logistic regression. Results: More respondents reported that they had never heard of PC in nonmetro (78.8%) than metro (70.1%) areas (p < 0.05). Controlling for other factors, nonmetro residence was associated with a 41% lower odds of PC knowledge (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.37-0.94), and Hispanic respondents also demonstrated significantly lower odds of PC knowledge conditional on rural status (OR = 0.47; CI = 0.27-0.83). Misconceptions about PC were high in both metro and nonmetro areas. Conclusion: Awareness of PC was lower in rural and micropolitan areas compared with metropolitan areas, suggesting the need for tailored educational strategies. The reduced awareness of PC among Hispanic respondents regardless of rural status raises concerns about equitable access to PC services for this population.

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Published In

J Palliat Med

DOI

EISSN

1557-7740

Publication Date

December 2021

Volume

24

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1833 / 1839

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Urban Population
  • United States
  • Rural Population
  • Prevalence
  • Palliative Care
  • Humans
  • Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing
  • Gerontology
  • Adult
  • 4205 Nursing
 

Citation

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Langan, E., Kamal, A. H., Miller, K. E. M., & Kaufman, B. G. (2021). Comparing Palliative Care Knowledge in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas of the United States: Results from a National Survey. J Palliat Med, 24(12), 1833–1839. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2021.0114
Langan, Erica, Arif H. Kamal, Katherine E. M. Miller, and Brystana G. Kaufman. “Comparing Palliative Care Knowledge in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas of the United States: Results from a National Survey.J Palliat Med 24, no. 12 (December 2021): 1833–39. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2021.0114.
Langan, Erica, et al. “Comparing Palliative Care Knowledge in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas of the United States: Results from a National Survey.J Palliat Med, vol. 24, no. 12, Dec. 2021, pp. 1833–39. Pubmed, doi:10.1089/jpm.2021.0114.
Langan E, Kamal AH, Miller KEM, Kaufman BG. Comparing Palliative Care Knowledge in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas of the United States: Results from a National Survey. J Palliat Med. 2021 Dec;24(12):1833–1839.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Palliat Med

DOI

EISSN

1557-7740

Publication Date

December 2021

Volume

24

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1833 / 1839

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Urban Population
  • United States
  • Rural Population
  • Prevalence
  • Palliative Care
  • Humans
  • Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing
  • Gerontology
  • Adult
  • 4205 Nursing