Proportion of Patients With Cancer Who Had Contact With Specialised Palliative Care

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Palliative Care
Country
Denmark
Publishing Organisation
Danish Palliative Care Database
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Effectiveness
Domain
Care of the Patient at the End of Life

Defining Attributes

Definition

Proportion of patients with cancer who had contact with specialised palliative care.

Numerator

Number of patients with cancer who had contact with specialised palliative care.

Denominator

Number of deaths from cancer.

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.

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data, Standardised clinical data
Data Collection Methods

The data sources included the Danish Palliative Care Database, Nordic Cancer Registries and the Register of Causes of Death with data about cause of death. The patients were divided into patients who died from cancer (Nordic Cancer Registries) and patients who died from diseases other than cancer (Register of Causes of Death). Each specialised palliative care unit only enters data about the first contact per patient. Data entry in the Danish Palliative Care Database 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.2024.28517

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.2024.28516

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