Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives toward Innovation in Palliative Care across European Settings: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study
Abstract
Innovation in palliative care often relies on technological advancements, yet its implementation depends on complex organizational and systemic conditions. An exploratory cross-sectional mixed-methods survey study was conducted to investigate healthcare professionals' perspectives on innovation across multiple European contexts. Survey data assessed perceived implementation, openness to innovation, management support, and familiarity versus use of digital tools, complemented by qualitative open-ended responses. Findings suggest that while participants demonstrated high conceptual openness to innovation, defining it as a multidimensional process encompassing communication, continuity of care, and service reorganization, a marked awareness-implementation gap was identified. Even though familiarity with digital technologies is widespread, routine use remains limited. Barriers were primarily structural, including funding instability, workforce pressures, fragmented infrastructure, and insufficient institutional alignment, rather than ideological resistance. This study underscores that sustainable digital transformation in palliative care requires strengthening system readiness, integrating infrastructure investment, leadership engagement, and human-centered implementation strategies to ensure innovation reinforces relational models of care.
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BibTeX
@article{cruz2026healthcare,
title = {{Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives toward Innovation in Palliative Care across European Settings: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study}},
author = {Sara Cruz and Mariana Silva-Ferreira and Maria Candida Silva and Michael Sapateiro Luis and Sara Monteiro-Reis and Rui Henrique and Carmen Jeronimo and Ambre Laplaud and Matthieu Frasca and Elixabete Elordi Astegia and Rosana Angles Barbastro and Fatima Gonzalez Palau and Marta Garcia Rodriguez and Raquel Losada Duran},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1934362},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05858042v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives toward Innovation in Palliative Care across European Settings: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study
AU - Sara Cruz
AU - Mariana Silva-Ferreira
AU - Maria Candida Silva
AU - Michael Sapateiro Luis
AU - Sara Monteiro-Reis
AU - Rui Henrique
AU - Carmen Jeronimo
AU - Ambre Laplaud
AU - Matthieu Frasca
AU - Elixabete Elordi Astegia
AU - Rosana Angles Barbastro
AU - Fatima Gonzalez Palau
AU - Marta Garcia Rodriguez
AU - Raquel Losada Duran
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1934362
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05858042v1
AB - Innovation in palliative care often relies on technological advancements, yet its implementation depends on complex organizational and systemic conditions. An exploratory cross-sectional mixed-methods survey study was conducted to investigate healthcare professionals' perspectives on innovation across multiple European contexts. Survey data assessed perceived implementation, openness to innovation, management support, and familiarity versus use of digital tools, complemented by qualitative open-ended responses. Findings suggest that while participants demonstrated high conceptual openness to innovation, defining it as a multidimensional process encompassing communication, continuity of care, and service reorganization, a marked awareness-implementation gap was identified. Even though familiarity with digital technologies is widespread, routine use remains limited. Barriers were primarily structural, including funding instability, workforce pressures, fragmented infrastructure, and insufficient institutional alignment, rather than ideological resistance. This study underscores that sustainable digital transformation in palliative care requires strengthening system readiness, integrating infrastructure investment, leadership engagement, and human-centered implementation strategies to ensure innovation reinforces relational models of care.
SN - 2296-2565
SN - 2296-2565
ER -