BMC Palliative Care is calling for submissions to our new Collection, Optimizing communication in palliative care. Communication is a clinical practice in palliative care but is complicated by personal and structural barriers including emotional distress, cultural and language differences, lack of training among healthcare providers, time constraints, and patients’ or families’ reluctance to discuss end-of-life issues. Strengthening communication between the team, patient, and family can optimize care coordination, reduce misunderstandings, and improve the overall quality of care.

Navigating communication barriers is key to building trust and honoring patients' needs and preferences. Emerging research is shedding light on these challenges and demonstrating how tailored strategies can improve the patient and family experience. For example, training in communication skills, across all interdisciplinary groups, can facilitate goals of care communication and shared decision-making. Communication research will shape how healthcare professionals approach palliative care communication, ultimately benefiting clinicians, patients, families, as well as the healthcare system.

We welcome research on optimizing communication in palliative care, with topics of interest including, but not limited to:

• Communication challenges when specialty palliative care is not available

• Palliative care conversations with family caregivers

• Communication interventions to address equity-centered palliative care

• Communication training for diagnosis and prognosis conversations

• Telehealth and palliative care communication

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

BMC Palliative Care is calling for submissions to our new Collection, Palliative care in low-income and middle-income countries. This Collection aims to highlight the unique challenges and opportunities for palliative care in LMICs, emphasizing the need for culturally appropriate and context-sensitive approaches.

Improving palliative care in LMICs is crucial for delivering compassionate end-of-life support. Promising developments include integrating palliative care into primary healthcare, expanding community-based models, and leveraging telehealth to overcome geographic barriers. Enhanced awareness, advocacy, and policy support have also contributed to better funding and infrastructure. Ongoing research and collaboration among governments, NGOs, and communities are key to creating sustainable and adaptable care models as well as advancing professional training and interdisciplinary approaches.

Submissions from researchers and practitioners in LMICs are encouraged. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

· Challenges and innovations for palliative care access in LMICs

· Community-based palliative care models

· Training healthcare providers in palliative care in LMIC contexts

· Policy frameworks for palliative care in LMICs

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.