Object: In epidemiological research palliative care patients are mostly defined by "remaining life expectancy" or by "receiving palliative care" according to the professional. The research question of this paper is how do general practitioners (GPs) define palliative care patients.
Methods: In a qualitative study, we interviewed 30 patients with a life expectancy of less than 6 months and their GPs who provided palliative care. Data were analysed inductively and separately by the first two authors.
Results: GPs considered all patients with a brief life expectancy as potential palliative care patients. Especially in non-cancer patients, life expectancy was difficult to predict and the distinction between long-term care and palliative care was unclear. GPs less often perceived the care they provided as palliative care when they had few contacts with their patient or when patients denied the terminal state of their illness.
Conclusions: Non-cancer disease with a life expectancy difficult to predict, denial of terminal state of illness and few contacts with their patients are reasons for GPs not to consider patients as palliative care patients. These patients might be included in palliative care research when outcome definitions are used. Hence, when no outcome-based definition is used for inclusion, non-cancer patients and patients with few contacts with their professional carers might be underrepresented.