Table 1.

Eligibility criteria for patients, family carers and palliative care professionals.

Health professionals	1. Physicians or nurses
	2. From inpatient or outpatient palliative care settings
	3. Who had an active role in the initial encounter (defined as the first and second visit) 20 with the patient
	4. And who had a minimum of 2 years of experience in palliative care
Patients	1. Patients with cancer
	2. Who were attending an outpatient or inpatient palliative care service
	3. Had recently had their initial encounter with the palliative care team
	4. Whose symptoms were controlled at the time of interview (according to physician criteria)
	5. Who were informed about and understood why they had been referred to palliative care
	6. And who were considered good informants according to the clinical leads from each participating institution
Family carers	1. Main caregivers of a patient with cancer
	2. Who were present during their relative’s initial encounter with the palliative care team
	3. And who were aware of their relative’s diagnosis and prognosis