"While palliative care is increasingly recognized as an indispensable public health matter, it remains a theme only sporadically dealt with within public health. Conversely, a public health approach is rarely purposely applied within palliative care and palliative care research. This book presents a synthesis and overview of empirical evidence and policies pertaining to the end of life of populations. In 22 chapters renowned international contributors apply a population perspective to the clinical and social circumstances of death and dying. They discuss the access to and use of palliative care and end of life care services, the organization of palliative care services in different care settings, and social inequalities at the end of life. These issues are looked at through national and supra-national policies on end of life care across the world and outline an empiricism-based image of the end of life of populations."--Back cover.

pt. 1. Introduction. Applying a public health perspective to end-of-life care / Joachim Cohen, Luc Deliens -- pt. 2. Clinical and social context of death and dying. Place of death and end-of-life care / Siew Tzuh Tang, Chen-Hsiu Chen ; Circumstances of death and dying / Irene J. Higginson ; End-of-life decisions / Agnes van der Heide, Judith Rietjens ; Economic and health-related consequences of individuals caring for terminally ill cancer patients in Canada / Konrad Fassbender, Lindsey Sutherland -- pt. 3. End-of-life care: provision, access, and characteristics. Aggressive treatment and palliative care at the end of life / Kirsten Wentlandt, Camilla Zimmermann ; Access to palliative care / Gunn Grande ; Communication between patient and caregiver / Linda Emanuel -- pt. 4. End-of-life care settings. Palliative care in primary care / Lieve Van den Block ; Palliative care in institutional long-term care settings / Jenny van der Steen [and others] ; Palliative care in hospitals / Amy S. Kelley, Daniel J. Fischberg, R. Sean Morrison -- pt. 5. Inequalities at the end of life: under-served groups. Non-cancer patients as an under-served group / Julia Addington-Hall, Katherine Hunt ; Palliative care for the older adult / Kevin Brazil ; A public health framework for paediatric palliative and hospice care / Kari Hexem, Chris Feudtner ; End-of-life care for patients with intellectual disabilities / Irene Tuffrey-Wijne, Annemieke Wagemans, Leopold Curfs ; End-of-life care for people who live in rural or remote areas versus those who live in urban areas / Donna M. Wilson, Deepthi Mohankumar ; Social inequalities at the end of life / Jonathan Koffman -- pt. 6. End-of-life care policies. Design, implementation, and evaluation of palliative care programmes and services with a public health WHO perspective / Xavier Gómez-Batiste [and others] ; Public health policy regarding end-of-life care in sub-Saharan Africa / Julia Downing, Richard Harding ; Palliative care in the global context: understanding policies to support end-of-life care / David Clark ; The importance of family carers in end-of-life care: a public health approach / Allan Kellehear -- pt. 7. Conclusion. Conclusions: palliative care: the need for a public health approach / Luc Deliens, Joachim Cohen.