Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-3-2025
Abstract
Background
Palliative care (PC) has the potential to alleviate symptom burden and enhance quality of life, yet use of PC among American Indians lags significantly behind whites.Methods
This randomized clinical trial employed a randomized, complete block, posttest-only control group design to evaluate the efficacy of a culture-centric narrative video message to increase knowledge of and communication about PC among AI adults residing in three Great Plains Reservations compared to a general PC message or no message. Measures included participants’ knowledge of and intentions to discuss PC using a posttest survey.Results
N = 320 individuals completed the survey. Both the culture-centric and general messages demonstrated statistically significant results for increasing participants’ PC knowledge compared to the no message group. The culture-centric message participants had greater odds of feeling the emotions and agreeing with the characters compared to the general message; however, there were no differences noted in intentions to discuss PC.Conclusions
This study demonstrates the importance of messaging to improve PC knowledge and reduce misperceptions among populations with a history of mistrust of healthcare institutions. Embedding the culture’s values and ways of understanding serious illness care can serve to break down barriers in PC acceptance and provide opportunities for improving quality of life for AIs with serious illness.Recommended Citation
Isaacson MJ, (Charlie) Soh KM, Wichman CS, et al. Improving Palliative Care Knowledge and Intentions Among Great Plains American Indians: Efficacy Results From a Randomized Clinical Trial Testing a Culture-Centric Palliative Care Message. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091251405385
Copyright
The authors
Included in
Health Communication Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons
Comments
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 2025 following peer review. This article may not exactly replicate the final published version. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091251405385.