Something's ironic in Denmark: An otherwise progressive welfare state lags well behind in care of patients at the end of life

Tremendous strides have been made in the last two decades with regard to the quality of palliative care available to patients at the end of life. But progress has not been uniform, even among countries in the same region of the world. The objective of this study is to describe, in a comparative context, the current status of end-of-life palliative care in Denmark using quantitative research published in the past five years. This study's conclusions, based on a synthesis of the research, suggest that despite its well earned reputation as a generally progressive welfare state, Denmark tends to trail well behind its European neighbors when it comes to end-of-life care. Understanding the cultural forces that underlie this reality may help Danish health care professionals and policy makers overcome the barriers that stand in the way of providing state-of-the-art medical care to patients who suffer at the end of life.