The international context of behavioural palliative and end-of-life care revisited

This companion text to our first book, Perspectives on Behavioural Interventions in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, emphasizes how different disease trajectories, care contexts, and policy issues influence feasible behavioural intervention delivery. This introductory chapter briefly reminds readers what is meant by a “behavioural” intervention and why such interventions are important within the context of palliative and end-of-life care internationally. A review of the biopsychosocial-spiritual model and lifespan theories underlying the behavioural interventions published within our first book is provided. We end with a broad overview of chapter content within this book. As stated in our first book, the overarching goal of these volumes is to offer accessible resources for scientists, practitioners, and trainees with relevant information on behavioural mental health and wellness interventions in palliative and end-of-life care across disease, social and cultural contexts, including variation in reimbursement and care structures internationally.