Abstract
The role of primary care in palliative care provision has been recognised as significant, nevertheless we, Japanese primary care providers, do not have many chances to share and discuss what barriers we perceive in practice. We held a workshop in the form of World Cafe at the 4th annual conference of Japan Primary Care Association to share the perceived barriers in providing palliative care. 17 participants (12 doctors and 5 pharmacists) have suggested various obstacles including difficult applying acquired knowledge to clinical practice. It was also speculated that the participants were struggling with diverse complex issues emerged from patients' care which are not to be solved by already existing knowledge. The discussions suggested the importance of interdisciplinary work to deal with high complexities inherent to palliative care. It is also crucial to collaborate and communicate not only at the individual professionals level but also at the organizational level to tackle the obstacles to provision of best palliative care in primary care setting.
