Objectives: To evaluate the use of quality indicators to monitor palliative care in Europe by studying the use of quality indicators (structure, process and outcome) in different European countries.
 
An important challenge for palliative care is to develop effective tools to evaluate and improve the quality of palliative care. Worldwide, an increasing number of initiatives have been taken to develop quality indicators for palliative care.
 
A “quality indicator” is a measurable aspect of care that is indicative for the quality of care provided, measured in terms of structures, outcomes and processes of care. A number of retrospective and prospective, quantitative and qualitative data that have been or are being gathered across Europe are at the disposal of the researcher e.g. data from focus groups, national sets of quality indicators, sentinel GP networks, the Liverpool Care Pathway, and the interrRAI Long Term Care Facility.
 
If you want more information, please contact

• Maaike De Roo (researcher)
• Anneke Francke (lead)