The current state of palliative care in the Russian Federation (2019–2024).

Introduction. Due to population ageing and the increasing prevalence of non-communicable and certain infectious diseases, there is a growing need for palliative care. The purpose of the study is to analyze the state of palliative care in the Russian Federation for the period from 2019 to 2024. Material and methods. The study used data from the annual reporting forms of the federal statistical observation No. 30 “Information about a medical organization” and No. 47 “Information about the network and activities of a medical organization” for the period from 2019 to 2024. The study used content analysis, statistical, and analytical methods. Results. Palliative care is being developed in outpatient settings in the Russian Federation: between 2019 and 2024, the indicator “total number of visits by palliative care doctors per 100,000 population increased by 36.4%. The number of palliative care departments increased 2.3 times. The indicator “number of visits to palliative care departments and offices per 100,000 population” increased by 2,6%. Over the period from 2021 to 2024, the number of mobile palliative care teams increased 1.8 times, the number of mobile teams’ visits increased 1.9 times, and the number of patients received during such visits, increased 1.8 times, respectively. The indicator “number of visits by mobile teams for palliative care delivery at home per 100,000 population” increased 1.7 times. Palliative care in inpatient settings was provided in hospices, nursing homes (hospitals), and palliative care centers; their number remained changed. Palliative medical care is also provided on the basis of palliative beds in departments and medical organizations, with the number of these beds increased by 31.4%. Conclusion. During the period from 2019 to 2024, Russia saw a significant increase in the number of palliative care beds (by 30.8%), with bed availability rising by 31.4% (from 0.86 to 1.13 per 10,000 population). Additionally, there was a 36.4% growth in physician visits for palliative care, indicating improved accessibility to these services. The number of home-based palliative care visits by mobile outreach teams increased 1.7-fold (from 436.7 to 762.1 per 100,000 population), enabling patients to receive care in the comfort of their homes. However, both physicians and mid-level medical staff in palliative care face high workload intensity, with a multiple jobholding ratio of 2.0 for physicians and 1.7 for nursing staff, which may contribute to professional burnout and reduced quality of care.