Using palliative care assessment tools to influence and enhance clinical practice

Home Healthc Nurse. 2011 Mar;29(3):139-45; quiz 146-7. doi: 10.1097/NHH.0b013e31820ba808.

Abstract

The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration focuses on supporting palliative care services in Australia to measure service- and patient-level outcomes, and to use these data to drive continuous quality improvement. The introduction of a suite of clinical assessment tools nationally has resulted in important enhancements to care provision at individual service level. Improved communication, enhanced assessment of patient needs, and improved identification of triggers for the need to change care plans or for referral have resulted from this change.

MeSH terms

  • Australia
  • Checklist / methods*
  • Humans
  • Nursing Assessment / methods*
  • Pain Measurement / nursing
  • Palliative Care / organization & administration*
  • Patient-Centered Care / organization & administration*
  • Professional-Patient Relations
  • Quality of Health Care / organization & administration
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*