Whitepaper reveals urgent need for innovative palliative care research
VUB experts set international priority list for next decade
BRUSSELS 19/05/2026 - The End-of-Life Care research group of the Free University of Brussels and the University of Ghent, published a new whitepaper on behalf of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). The paper sets a shared research agenda for the next decade. The study, led by Dr Steven Vanderstichelen, identifies priorities for palliative care research from a public health perspective.
"The white paper is based on an international study in which experts from 16 countries ranked 47 specific focus areas for research," says Steven Vanderstichelen. "The highest priority is given to the representation and inclusion of older people and people in structurally vulnerable positions. According to the experts surveyed in our study, future research should not only focus on medical care, but also on social support in the last phase of life outside the walls of care facilities."
The paper found that the current research focus is still often shifted towards service-oriented priorities within traditional healthcare. "Our results force us to scrutinise this critically and examine precisely the social factors." continues Vanderstichelen. "For example, the role of the physical environment and architecture is mentioned as a factor that can promote social connection in patients, the need to further develop and validatethe concept of end-of-life health literacy (so-called death literacy)."
In addition to the focus on inclusion, the agenda advocates methodological innovation. Due to the complexity of health promotion interventions around palliative care in the community, traditional clinical research designs are often inadequate. The experts suggest greater use of big data, participatory action research and evaluation methods designed specifically for civic initiatives and 'Compassionate Communities'.
"It is notable that themes such as the impact of climate change on palliative care currently receive the lowest priority. While this theme is seen as an emerging horizon by some of the experts, there is currently little consensus on its urgency compared to immediate social and methodological issues. The publication invites broad discussion within the scientific field to further explore these 'known unknowns' in the coming years." concludes Vanderstichelen.
Reference:
Vanderstichelen S, Tishelman C, Heide AV, McIlfatrick S, Sallnow L, Deliens L, Cohen J. EAPC White Paper: What are the priorities for Public Health & Palliative Care research in the coming decade? Results from an International Delphi study. Palliat Med. 2026 Feb 22:2692163261418440. doi: 10.1177/02692163261418440. Epub ahead of print.
Contact:
Dr Steven Vanderstichelen: steven.vanderstichelen@vub.be, tel.available from editors
Koen Stein
