• Horacio M Castro, Martín E Fernández, María M Cáceres, Beatriz Gil, Juan I Enghelmayer, Martín Masdeu, Maria C Berenguer, Joaquín Maritano Furcada, and Sebastián Leiva Agüero.
• Equipo de Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales, Sección de Neumonología, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-mail: matias.castro@hospitalitaliano.org.ar.
• Medicina (B Aires). 2024 Jan 1; 84 (6): 113411451134-1145.

IntroductionPalliative care (PC) is essential in the treatment of patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD). There is no data on the management of PC by pulmonologists in Argentina for ILD patients. This study aimed to describe the approach to PC in ILD patients in Argentina.MethodsA 38-item survey was conducted among pulmonologists from the Argentine Association of Respiratory Medicine (N=1200). The survey was emailed twice in November and December 2023. It addressed medical training, healthcare organization, access and control of PC symptoms, and end-of-life care planning.ResultsA total of 101 pulmonologists responded to the survey. Among the respondents, 92.1% expressed interest in PC, and 45.5% had received theoretical or practical training. Additionally, 59.4% reported access to a hospital PC team, and 51.5% did not have a home PC team. Furthermore, 46.7% referred patients to the PC team, and 49.5% reached a consensus with their patients on the preferred place of death. Finally, 55.4% referred patients to PC in the final stage of the disease.DiscussionDespite the majority of physicians recognizing the importance of PC, there are significant deficiencies in access to these services and in the knowledge about them. Furthermore, there is a lack of multidisciplinary collaboration. Addressing these gaps is crucial for improving the quality of life for ILD patients.

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