Trigger points of palliative care assessment in inherited metabolic diseases

The interaction between palliative care (PC) and inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) is an area of increasing clinical importance. However, the integration of PC in this field remains limited due to several factors, including a lack of understanding of the specialty, reluctance to refer, limited resources and the absence of specific eligibility criteria for IMD patients. This article proposes a novel framework of trigger points to guide timely PC referral in the IMD field. Based on a review of the literature and the pathophysiological characteristics of IMDs, three pairs of illness trajectories were established.