A qualitative study: health professionals’ perceptions toward psychiatric palliative care for people with serious mental illness

Purpose People with mental disorders experience higher rates of disability and mortality disproportionately than the general population. Until recently, psychiatric palliative care (PPC) for people with serious mental illness (SMI) was not explored as a treatment option. This paper aims to explore the feasibility of PPC as a supportive care model for people with serious mental illness. Design/methodology/approach Fifteen health-care professionals’ in the USA and Europe participated in semi-structured phone interviews regarding PPC for people with SMI. The Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven (QUAGOL) was used to conduct thematic analysis of the data. Findings PPC was identified as a supportive care model that could improve quality of life and enhance patient autonomy for people with SMI. While PPC was endorsed as a possible new standard of care, it is imperative that the model be piloted to determine its efficacy as a viable treatment option among adults. Originality/value There are limited studies that investigate the perceptions of health professionals’ regarding the use of PPC as a treatment option for people with SMI.