QUAlity CompreheNsive End-of-Life Care: STandard Five (QUANTum) study

Project dates:
Commenced: 2018
Completed: 2022

Over half of Australians die in hospital and many spend much of their last year of life in hospital. For people with palliative care needs, and their families, quality of life is determined by the quality of care provided in hospital. Due to poor understanding of the barriers and enablers to implement processes and outcome measures associated with the six action items for end-of-life care, outlined within the Comprehensive Care Standard in the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, this mixed methods, cross sectional survey sought to describe current and planned processes and outcome measures that address implementation of the actions. This study involved both public and private facilities (n=765) that provided end-of-life care which are area required to be accredited to the NSQHS standards.

Project outcomes:

Barries identified that were the most challenging to address include: competing clinical priorities and insufficient resources to provide best practice end-of-life care. Enablers were reported as local, jurisdictional and national strategic plans and policies, support from Specialist Palliative Care Services. access to resources and data, standardised approaches to implementation and measuring outcomes, and clinician, consumer and community engagement and education on end-of-life care.