[Germany] Challenges of regional hospice and palliative care networks: A group discussion study with coordinators and network experts

[Germany] Challenges of regional hospice and palliative care networks: A group discussion study with coordinators and network experts
Palliative Medicine; Sven Schwabe, Hanna Aa Röwer, Christoph Buck, Eileen Doctor, Nils Schneider, Franziska A Herbst; 12/24
Within hospice and palliative care, professionals from various disciplines collaborate to deliver comprehensive care to terminal patients and their relatives. Regional hospice and palliative care networks face numerous challenges relating to: (1) establishment and development, (2) infrastructure, (3) moderation, (4) public relations and information exchange, (5) education and training and (6) the development of regional care services and practices. Sustainable infrastructure, competent network governance and adequate resources for network members are essential for the success of regional hospice and palliative care networks. To improve networking, funding conditions should be simplified, the involvement of network partners should be improved and network coordinators should receive training in network management.