Edwards, Michelle  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7432-2828, Holland-Hart, Daniella ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1127-5152, Harrop, Emily, Rogerson, Jennifer, Graham-Wisener, Lisa and Sallnow, Libby
2025.
A scoping review of literacy concepts and measures related to palliative and end-of-life care, dying and death and grief [Abstract].
Palliative Care & Social Practice
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Abstract
Background: Health literacy is a key social determinant of health and well-being. Poor health literacy is associated with multiple inequities in serious illness, dying, death and grieving, poor access to palliative care, difficulties in health communication, advance care planning, treatment decision-making, and recognising and managing symptoms. Newer conceptions of literacy have emerged which reflect the range of knowledge, skills and abilities that people draw upon during the palliative and end-of-life care phase, when managing death arrangements and supporting their own and others’ grief. ‘Palliative care literacy’ and ‘end-of-life health literacy’ (in healthcare settings), ‘death literacy’ and ‘grief literacy’ (in home and community settings) are some examples of these. Objectives: To describe the range of knowledge, skills and abilities included across literacy concepts and measures applied to palliative and end-of-life care, death and grief and to identify conceptual gaps and overlaps in these literacies. Research approach: A scoping review of published papers that explicitly describe literacy concepts to applied to palliative care, end-of-life care, dying, death and grief. Relevance: A typology of literacies which reflect the knowledge, skills and abilities needed from initiation of a palliative care/end-of-life approach, through death and into grief is presented. This typology will inform the design of public health interventions to promote literacies to improve equity in experiences and outcomes at these times. Originality: The findings provide an original contribution to knowledge about death, dying, grieving and palliative care by providing a comprehensive overview of knowledge, skills and abilities that are essential for communities and at a population level to respond to these universal events. Relevance to the conference theme: The review highlights literacies as a key social determinant of health and well-being and access to informal and formal support.
| Item Type: | Short Communication |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Medicine |
| Additional Information: | Abstract from the 4th international research seminar of the EAPC Reference Group on Public Health & Palliative Care, June 17-19, 2025 |
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
| ISSN: | 2632-3524 |
| Related URLs: | |
| Last Modified: | 27 May 2026 16:00 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187245 |
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