Poster can be found in location 33.

Background: The inclusion of palliative care in policy has been encouraged internationally, and gradually implemented in Sweden. To achieve person-centred care relevant for people in the general population with palliative care needs is policy foundational. Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine articulations and conceptualisations about palliative care as displayed in Swedish national disease-specific policy and guideline documents to illuminate prevailing ideas and assumptions regarding palliative care. Methods: A document analysis of Swedish policy and guideline documents for care of different disease-specific groups (severe chronic conditions; cancer and non-cancer) was performed. In total 140 documents were analysed for articulations and conceptualisations referring to palliative care. Results: The inclusion of palliative care in the documents varied (in both cancer and non-cancer policies); from no inclusion at all to substantial chapters dedicated to palliative care. In the documents articulations of palliative care varied from mentioning the term without explications to elaborations of palliative care. Further variations of palliative care articulations were disease-specific palliative treatments (e.g. anti-tumoral treatments), care of the dying, referring to established definitions (e.g. WHO:s definition), an integrated care approach, and family support. Conclusion: There are great variations in articulations and conceptualisations of palliative care in Swedish national disease-specific policy and guideline documents. The conceptualisations of palliative care are limited to disease-specific palliative treatments and care of the dying person, which delimits its scope in ways that are contrary to current evidence for early integrated and person-centred palliative care. A lack of palliative care recommendations adapted for each specific diagnosis may signal a lack of knowledge and that palliative care is not prioritised. The current conceptualisations of palliative care in national policy documents needs to be further investigated with regard to the intended use and expected impact of policy documents for equitable palliative care.