Barriers to effective palliative care of terminal patients. An international perspective.

Barriers to palliative care around the world include: underutilization of and lack of access to opiates; the separation of palliative (hospice) care from the usual health care system in much of the world; cultural barriers to discussing death and dying; and, especially for the developing countries, financial barriers to good palliative care. Palliative care education for health care providers, pain initiatives as well as flexibility and adaptation of palliative care principles to local resources may help overcome these barriers.