The first decade of the Danish Palliative Care Database: improvements and ongoing challenges in the quality and use of specialised palliative care

Acta Oncol. 2024 May 2;63:259-266. doi: 10.2340/1651-226X.2024.28515.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Danish Palliative Care Database comprises five quality indicators: (1) Contact with specialised palliative care (SPC) among referred patients, (2) Waiting time of less than 10 days, (3) Proportion of patients who died from (A) cancer or (B) non-cancer diseases, and had contact with SPC, (4) Proportion of patients completing the patient-reported outcome measure at baseline (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL), and (5) Proportion of patients discussed at a multidisciplinary conference.PURPOSE: To investigate changes in the quality indicators from 2010 until 2020 in cancer and non-cancer patients. Patients/material: Patients aged 18+ years who died from 2010 until 2020.METHOD: Register-based study with the Danish Palliative Care Database as the main data source. Indicator changes were reported as percentage fulfilment.RESULTS: From 2010 until 2020, the proportion of patients with non-cancer diseases in SPC increased slightly (2.5-7.2%). In 2019, fulfilment of the five indicators for cancer and non-cancer were: (1) 81% vs. 73%; (2) 73% vs. 68%; (3A) 50%; (3B) 2%; (4) 73% vs. 66%; (5) 73% vs. 65%. Whereas all other indicators improved, the proportion of patients waiting less than 10 days from referral to contact decreased. Differences between type of unit were found, mainly lower for hospice.INTERPRETATION: Most patients in SPC had cancer. All indicators except waiting time improved during the 10-year period. ...
Source: Acta Oncologica - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research