What do health professionals think about implementing psilocybin-assisted therapy in palliative care for existential distress? A World Café qualitative study

Oct 8, 2024Palliative & supportive care

Health professionals' views on using psilocybin therapy for existential distress in palliative care

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Abstract

Sixteen palliative care professionals discussed issues related to the acceptability of psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Participants expressed interest in psilocybin-assisted therapy for existential distress.
Concerns included the need for educational and certified training regarding psilocybin use.
Medical legalization and further research on psilocybin were identified as necessary for broader acceptance.
Refinement of therapy protocols and considerations about the types of professionals administering the therapy were discussed.
The acceptability and accessibility of psilocybin-assisted therapy were found to be interconnected.

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OBJECTIVES: Promising studies show that psilocybin-assisted therapy relieves existential distress in patients with serious illnesses, a difficult condition to treat with current treatment options. There is growing interest in this therapy in palliative care. Canada recently amended its laws to allow physicians to request psilocybin for end-of-life distress. However, barriers to access remain. Since implementing psilocybin-assisted therapy within palliative care depends on the attitudes of healthcare providers willing to recommend it, they should be actively engaged in the broader discussion about this treatment option. We aimed (1) to identify issues and concerns regarding the acceptability of this therapy among palliative care professionals and to discuss ways of remedying them and (2) to identify factors that may facilitate access.

METHODS: A qualitative study design and World Café methodology were adopted to collect data. The event was held on April 24, 2023, with 16 palliative care professionals. The data was analyzed following an inductive approach.

RESULTS: Although participants were interested in psilocybin-assisted therapy, several concerns and needs were identified. Educational and certified training needs, medical legalization of psilocybin, more research, refinement of therapy protocols, reflections on the type of professionals dispensing the therapy, the treatment venue, and eligibility criteria for treatment were discussed.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Palliative care professionals consider psilocybin-assisted therapy a treatment of interest, but it generates several concerns. According to our results, the acceptability of the therapy and the expansion of its access seem interrelated. The development of guidelines will be essential to encourage wider therapy deployment.

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What do health professionals think about implementing psilocybin-assisted therapy in palliative care for existential distress? A World Café qualitative study

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