Background: Improving the organisational aspects of the delivery of palliative care in order to support patients throughout their disease trajectory has received limited attention.
Aim: To investigate the opportunities and barriers related to organising palliation for people with terminal cancer and their families.
Methods: An explorative interview study was conducted among 31 nurses and three physicians concerning an intervention facilitating a fast transition from treatment at a cancer centre at a university hospital to palliation at home. A thematic analysis was conducted.
Findings: This article presents three out of seven themes: 1) improvement in the cessation of antineoplastic treatment in palliation; 2) improvement in organisations delivering palliation; and 3) improvement in multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Conclusions: The results demonstrate the demand for flexible, family-centred and integrated palliation at all levels, from communication and the collaborative relationship between healthcare professionals and families to service sectors.
Keywords: collaboration; organisation; palliative care; terminal cancer.