Waiting Time (Proportion of Patients Waiting Less Than 10 Days)

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Palliative Care
Country
Denmark
Publishing Organisation
Danish Palliative Care Database
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Structure and Processes of Care

Defining Attributes

Definition

Proportion of patients with contact to specialised palliative care waiting a maximum of 10 days from referral to contact.

Numerator

Number of patients who had contact with specialised palliative care within 10 days from referral.

Denominator

Number of patients who had contact.

Exclusions

Covers specialised palliative care only, therefore patients receiving general palliative care only are not captured.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
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
Standardised clinical data
Data Collection Methods

The Danish Palliative Care Database was the only data source and contributed data about the contact with specialised palliative care including date of first contact, type of unit, diagnosis. 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
Continuous
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
1
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
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
Yes

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.2024.28516

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

Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
Yes
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025