Outcome measures can enhance palliative care

摘要

This October, I attended an event in Sheffield that focused on the use of outcome measures in palliative care in the UK. It was an opportunity for commissioners and providers of specialist palliative and end-of-life care to get together to debate the evidence supporting the use of outcome measures for patients requiring such care. We also discussed the challenges we face embedding these into clinical practice in order to enhance the quality of patient care and to inform the commissioning of services. One of the key questions raised was: 'How do we know that what we do is good?'