Developing palliative care programs in rural settings presents distinct challenges. Patients with life-limiting illnesses in these areas often face obstacles such as geographic isolation, limited access to healthcare professionals and resources, a shortage of specialized palliative care services, long travel distances, lack of transportation, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and cultural and social factors that can impact care.

Understanding the unique needs of rural communities is crucial for shaping policy initiatives that ensure equitable access to health services aimed at improving the quality of life for both patients and caregivers. Advancements in telehealth, community-based interventions, and interdisciplinary care approaches have shown promise in addressing some of these gaps. Additionally, emerging research emphasizes the importance of culturally competent care and the need for services tailored to the specific values and preferences of rural patients and their families.

Ongoing exploration of effective care models, such as home-based palliative services and enhanced training for rural healthcare providers, could lead to improved patient outcomes and greater equity in access to palliative care. To this end, BMC Palliative Care is launching this Collection on "Rural health and palliative care." We invite submissions on the following topics:

Telehealth applications in rural palliative care

Community-based models for end-of-life care

Barriers to accessing palliative care in rural settings

Training healthcare providers in rural palliative care

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 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Neonatal-perinatal palliative care is a specialized interdisciplinary approach focusing on the quality of life for newborns and families facing life-limiting, life-threatening, or concerning neonatal diagnoses. Care and support is provided and continued irrespective of the treatment options and goals of care. This field recognizes that complex medical conditions are often associated with uncertain prognoses and emphasizes care that addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of both neonates and their families.

This Collection aims to explore various dimensions of neonatal-perinatal palliative care, including clinical practices, ethical considerations, and family support. Many newborns are diagnosed with complex conditions that require focusing on value driven medical care that may include attention to invasive medical interventions, comfort care, or some degrees of medical interventions. These goals often evolve and shift over time. An important component of this total care is often end of life care with a focus on bonding, memory-making and symptom relief. While perinatal and neonatal palliative care programs are widely available, there is a pressing need for standardized guidelines and quality measures to ensure consistent and effective care. Advancing our collective understanding is key to improving the quality of life for both infants and their families during challenging times.

With this in mind, BMC Palliative Care is opening this Collection on Neonatal-perinatal palliative care. Areas of focus include:

Best practices in neonatal palliative care

Birth planning in cases of uncertain or life limiting fetal diagnoses

Family-centered approaches in end-of-life neonatal care

Standardized care guidelines and polices for perinatal bereavement and palliative care

Ethical considerations in neonatal palliative care

Training healthcare professionals in the paradigms of palliative care

Neonatal-perinatal palliative care education and program development

The involvement of palliative care in fetal care centers

The impact of the medico-legal landscape (abortion, personhood, born-alive protections) on neonatal-perinatal palliative care

Disparities in neonatal-perinatal palliative care

Religious and cultural considerations in neonatal-perinatal palliative care

Neonatal organ donation and autopsies

Advances symptom management in neonates

Outcomes and care of medically complex neonatal diagnoses with a multidisciplinary perspective

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.