Joanna Paladino

Discipline: Physician

Funding awarded to: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Ariadne Labs

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: A Survey to Measure Palliative and End-of-Life Care Culture

This mixed-methods research project aims to better understand and measure ‘healthcare culture toward palliative and end-of-life care’ and how it varies within and between clinical contexts. Through qualitative interviews to understand attitudes, perceptions, and norms, the goal is to develop and test a 'palliative and end-of-life care culture survey.' I hypothesize that culture has a powerful influence on how difficult or easy it is to implement and sustain primary palliative care improvement efforts, especially those focused on serious illness communication. If we can identify and measure the factors related to culture that influence change on the frontlines, we can tailor our implementation and educational strategies to address them proactively.

“As a palliative care leader, my vision is a health care system where every clinician who cares for seriously ill patients routinely and skillfully engages them in meaningful conversations about what matters most to them because they can’t imagine doing otherwise. I envision a system in which every patient with serious illness feels known and cared for on their own terms and experiences the best quality of life possible. To achieve this vision, I’d like to partner with teams at large, complex organizations, and together, lead systems through sustainable culture change in serious illness care. Every day, I am reminded of the power of good communication to transform experience, and I wish that for every patient, caregiver, and clinician. This body of work will help us get there – every patient, every time, everywhere.”