The Australian Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) – measuring the quality and outcomes of palliative care on a routine basis
Kathy Eagar A E , Prue Watters A , David C. Currow B , Samar M. Aoun C and Patsy Yates DA Centre for Health Service Development, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
B Department of Palliative and Supportive Services, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
C Western Australian Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA 6845, Australia.
D Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: keagar@uow.edu.au
Australian Health Review 34(2) 186-192 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH08718
Submitted: 4 November 2008 Accepted: 15 June 2009 Published: 25 May 2010
Abstract
Australia is leading the way in establishing a national system (the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration – PCOC) to measure the outcomes and quality of specialist palliative care services and to benchmark services across the country. This article reports on analysis of data collected routinely at point-of-care on 5939 patients treated by the first fifty one services that voluntarily joined PCOC. By March 2009, 111 services have agreed to join PCOC, representing more than 70% of services and more than 80% of specialist palliative care patients nationally. All states and territories are involved in this unique process that has involved extensive consultation and infrastructure and close collaboration between health services and researchers.
The challenges of dealing with wide variation in outcomes and practice and the progress achieved to date are described. PCOC is aiming to improve understanding of the reasons for variations in clinical outcomes between specialist palliative care patients and differences in service outcomes as a critical step in an ongoing process to improve both service quality and patient outcomes.
What is known about the topic? Governments internationally are grappling with how best to provide care for people with life limiting illnesses and how best to measure the outcomes and quality of that care. There is little international evidence on how to measure the quality and outcomes of palliative care on a routine basis.
What does this paper add? The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) is the first effort internationally to measure the outcomes and quality of specialist palliative care services and to benchmark services on a national basis through an independent third party.
What are the implications for practitioners? If outcomes and quality are to be measured on a consistent national basis, standard clinical assessment tools that are used as part of everyday clinical practice are necessary.
Acknowledgements
The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration acknowledges the financial support of the Department of Health and Ageing. We also thank the PCOC Zone Coordinators and the staff of the participating specialist palliative care services. Without their commitment and hard work, this paper would not be possible.
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