Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria for national palliative care documents
Document type | Inclusion criteria | Exclusion criteria |
|---|---|---|
Reports | •Sponsored or authored by Canadian governments (national, provincial and regional), health authority or other organizations in Canada •Significant focus on palliative care, including policy and/or recommendations •Published between January 1995 and December 2018 | •Documents focused on a single disease with little palliative care content •Regional reports •Annual reports •Research reports •Literature reviews •Clinical practice guidelines •Progress reports |
Legislative documents | •Canadian federal, provincial and territorial statutes, bills, regulations, debates and orders-in-council •Significant focus on palliative care, including policy and/or recommendations •Published between January 1995 and December 2018 | •Documents with little palliative care content |
Judicial court cases | •Court cases focusing on palliative interventions (e.g. potentially life-shortening symptom relief and palliative sedation), the withholding and withdrawal of potentially life-sustaining treatment, advance directives, assisted suicide and euthanasia •Significant focus on palliative care, including policy and/or recommendations •Published between January 1990 and December 2018 | •Documents with little palliative care content |