Research in palliative care

High-quality research in palliative care is a prerequisite for improving the evidence base, and closing the gap between knowledge and practice to improve patient care. Palliative care research is demanding, as it implies a huge diversity of healthcare services at different levels of care, delivered by multiple professions to vastly different populations. The need for evidence-based, efficient, and cost-effective services is evident, given the rapidly ageing population who live longer with serious and complex illnesses. This calls for collaborative research efforts focusing on both patient-centred and disease-centred outcomes during the disease trajectories and care pathways. This chapter discusses a range of topics focusing on why and how to conduct research in palliative care, and provides information on how to start, proceed, and complete sound research projects, as effectively and targeted as possible. Topics include, among others, challenges in palliative care research, research governance and ethical considerations, controlled clinical trials, and trial planning (including designs, methodology, collaboration, randomization, protocol development, statistical considerations, study conduct, including defining and including patients, randomization, and publication).