Development of care quality indicators for palliative care in China: A modified Delphi method study.

Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs

Hospital Office, Hunan Cancer Hospital/The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Published: December 2023


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

Objective: While there are limited studies addressing palliative care quality in China, the availability of an effective set of care quality indicators is scarce. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive set of quality indicators for palliative care in China.

Methods: Conducting a systematic literature search across databases and guideline websites from inception to October 2020, combined with qualitative interviews, we established a preliminary pool of indicators. Subsequently, two rounds of Delphi expert consultation surveys were administered to 19 multidisciplinary experts (specializing in clinical nursing/medicine, nursing/medicine management, and health care administration, as well as those engaged in teaching and research) from 12 provinces in Mainland China (three each from North, East, and South China, and four from Central China) via email from March to June 2021. The analytic hierarchy process was employed to determine indicator weights.

Results: Both rounds of expert consultation yielded a 100% positive coefficient, with expert authority coefficient values of 0.91 and 0.93, respectively. Kendall coefficient of concordance values for the two rounds were 0.148 and 0.253 ( < 0.001), indicating consensus among experts. Consequently, 71 quality indicators deemed important in the Chinese palliative care setting were identified, comprising 22 structure indicators, 35 process indicators, and 14 outcome indicators.

Conclusions: This study established an evidence-based set of quality indicators, addressing previously unmet needs and providing a novel approach to assessing and monitoring palliative care quality. Furthermore, ongoing refinement and integration with the evolving social context are warranted.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10724491PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apjon.2023.100324DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

quality indicators
20
palliative care
20
care quality
16
indicators
8
indicators palliative
8
set quality
8
expert consultation
8
quality
7
care
7
palliative
5

Similar Publications

Purpose: The development of on-board cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has led to improved target localization and evaluation of patient anatomical change throughout the course of radiation therapy. HyperSight, a newly developed on-board CBCT platform by Varian, has been shown to improve image quality and HU fidelity relative to conventional CBCT. The purpose of this study is to benchmark the dose calculation accuracy of Varian's HyperSight cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) on the Halcyon platform relative to fan-beam CT-based dose calculations and to perform end-to-end testing of HyperSight CBCT-only based treatment planning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Experiencing stigmatization during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study among healthcare workers.

BMC Infect Dis

September 2025

Department Health and Prevention, Institute of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Robert-Blum-Str. 13, Greifswald, 17489, Germany.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) played a crucial role in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to increased workloads, they were confronted with stigmatization due to their work in the health sector.

Methods: Guided by the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework (HSDF), this study aimed to explore the experiences of stigmatization of HCWs in Germany using semi-structured interviews (N = 34) and investigate effective coping strategies and existing needs in this context.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Adequate sleep is crucial for children's health, especially for children with ADHD and concurrent sleep problems. There is a need for more studies focusing on sleep problems in children with ADHD as these problems may exacerbate ADHD symptoms and vice versa, impacting negatively on everyday life. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in health-related factors between children with ADHD without clinically relevant sleep problems and those with clinically relevant sleep problems after a sleep intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Maternal healthcare (MHC) in Cameroon reflects the persistent challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, where high maternal mortality continues despite improved service utilization, stressing inequitable effective coverage (EC). This study applied EC cascade analysis-including service contact, continuity, and input-adjusted coverage-to quantify geographic and socioeconomic disparities, informing equity-focused strategies to dismantle structural barriers in the MHC continuum.

Methods: We combined population and health facility data (2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey and 2015 Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care Assessment) to estimate the input-adjusted coverage of antenatal care (ANC) and intra-and postpartum care (IPC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Radon (Rn) is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the decay of uranium-bearing minerals in rocks and soils. Long-term exposure to elevated radon levels in drinking water is associated with an increased risk of stomach and lung cancers. This study aims to assess the concentration of radon in groundwater and evaluate its potential health risks in six cancer-affected districts, i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF