Pacific People's Palliative and End‐of‐Life Care Experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand

Background: Pacific patients and families in New Zealand have limited access to palliative care services in comparison with non‐Pacific families. Culturally, Pacific families prefer to take care of their family members in the home. Yet, Pacific families tend to experience challenges in accessing services and support from such services typically because of limited knowledge of where to go as well as cultural concerns. The purpose of this review was to capture the voices and diverse experiences of Pacific people and families who used palliative services in New Zealand. Methods: This review adopts a systematic integrative method using the PRISMA diagram. Four databases were used, Medline (Ovid), CINAHL (Complete), Scopus and PubMed, to search keywords related to Pacific people, palliative and end‐of‐life care. Each research article was then analysed thematically using thematic analysis with the Vā methodology, which is a Pacific concept of understanding relationships. Results: A total of 112 records were retrieved and 21 sources were included. Four main themes emerged: perceptions of palliative and hospice care, the Vā and Pacific caregiving, the importance of spiritual care, and healthcare‐related services. The cultural traditions and the Christian faith of Pacific people continue to influence perceptions and decisions associated with palliative and end‐of‐life care. Conclusion: This review highlighted factors that influence Pacific people's access to and use of palliative and end‐of‐life care services. Doing so can lead to a better understanding of how to improve communication and build meaningful relationships between Pacific people with palliative care needs, their families and health professionals.