Top-ranked quality indicators for hospice and palliative care

Measuring the quality of care delivery is essential to assessment and improvement of hospice and palliative care programs, however no standard quality indicator set exists in the U.S. The Measuring What Matters (MWM) project reviewed the National Consensus Project (NCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines with intentions to identify and assess indicators for importance, clinical relevance and validity. An initial 75 indicators identified were narrowed to a final list of 10 by the group that included pain treatment, discussion of spiritual/religious concerns, and treatment preferences. The MWM project has set a foundation for further development in this area.