Contact With Specialised Palliative Care Among Referred Patients
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Country
Publishing Organisation
Type of Quality Indicator
IOM Quality Dimension
Domain
Defining Attributes
Definition
Proportion of eligible patients referred to specialised palliative care who had contact.
Numerator
Number of patients who had contact with specialised palliative care.
Denominator
Number of referred patients who fulfilled the referral criteria for specialised palliative care, were suitable for treatment, did not regret being in contact and were not in contact with another specialised palliative care unit. Fulfilment of referral criteria was based on a palliative care specialist's evaluation. From August 2017, national referral criteria were developed and are as follows: Patients with a life-threating disease and complex palliative symptoms or problems. Suitable for treatment is defined as assessment of the clinician in the specialised palliative care unit who received the referral of the patient.
Exclusions
Covers specialised palliative care only, therefore patients receiving general palliative care only are not captured.
Use of Risk Adjustment
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications
Patients with cancer versus non-cancer. Stratified by the type of specialised palliative care unit as hospital-based palliative care team/units versus hospice.
Data Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Data Collection Methods
The Danish Palliative Care Database was the only data source and contributed data about the date of referral and whether the referral criteria were fulfilled. Each specialised palliative care unit only enters data about the first contact per patient. Data entry is mandatory for specialised palliative care (SPC) units.
Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
The annual reports from the Danish Palliative Care Database give the results of the indicators by specialised palliative care unit. Each specialised palliative care unit can follow the development of the indicators by way of monthly digital data which can identify problems at an early stage.
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
Source and Reference Attributes
Evidence Source
Adsersen, M., Hansen, M. B., Neergaard, M. A., Sjøgren, P., Guldin, M. B., & Groenvold, M. (2024). The first decade of the Danish Palliative Care Database: improvements and ongoing challenges in the quality and use of specialised palliative care. Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden), 63, 259–266. DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2024.28515
Technical Specifications
Adsersen, M., Hansen, M. B., Neergaard, M. A., Sjøgren, P., Guldin, M. B., & Groenvold, M. (2024). The first decade of the Danish Palliative Care Database: improvements and ongoing challenges in the quality and use of specialised palliative care. Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden), 63, 259–266. DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2024.28515