Insights from health care professionals regarding palliative care options on South Dakota reservations.
OBJECTIVE
Palliative care options are limited for Native Americans (NA) in South Dakota (SD). This exploratory study offers the perspectives of Native and non-Native health care professionals regarding palliative care specific to NAs.


METHODS
Semi-structured interviews were conducted (N = 7) with participants representing NA (4) and non-Native (3) ethnicities. Non-Native participants were practicing health care professionals in palliative medicine, whereas the NA health care professionals had experience with palliative care.


RESULTS
Concept analysis revealed two main themes and five subthemes: (a) barriers to palliative care, for example, insufficient funding, lack of infrastructure, and misconceptions; and (b) implementation strategies, for example, openness and listening and creating the right team.


CONCLUSIONS
Genuine interest and concern exists for the provision of palliative care to NA communities using collaborative and innovative approaches.


CONCLUSIONS
To address the health disparities of the NA population specific to palliative care, public health policy reform and education for health professionals are necessary.
South Dakota State University, Sioux Falls, SD, USA mary.isaacson@sdstate.edu.
Mary
M
Isaacson
Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
Beth
B
Karel
Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
Brandon M
BM
Varilek
Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
Whitney J
WJ
Steenstra
Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
Jordan P
JP
Tanis-Heyenga
Sanford USD Medical Center, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
Amanda
A
Wagner
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel / Q000208:ethnology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology*; D010166:Palliative Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013023:South Dakota
clinical areas; cultural groups; health disparities; palliative care